Penalty for Kovalainen who will have to change his gearbox
The stewards were obliged to issue a penalty to Heikki Kovalainen for changing his gearbox. The McLaren driver will therefore receive a 5-place grid penalty and will start 18th tomorrow. Heikki Kovalainen was unable to complete the second part of the qualifying session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this afternoon, abandoning his McLaren at […]
The stewards were obliged to issue a penalty to Heikki Kovalainen for changing his gearbox. The McLaren driver will therefore receive a 5-place grid penalty and will start 18th tomorrow.
Heikki Kovalainen was unable to complete the second part of the qualifying session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this afternoon, abandoning his McLaren at the side of the track after 5 minutes.
The mechanics revealed a gearbox issue serious enough to require modifications to the engine structure, hence the imposition of the penalty outlined in the regulations since this year.
Kovalainen was frustrated: “I already had issues with the gearbox yesterday, and then after a few laps in Q2, I got stuck in second gear… it’s very frustrating when you know the car can easily reach Q3…”
This penalty means that Nakajima (Williams), Alguersuari (Toro Rosso), Alonso (Renault), Liuzzi, and Sutil (Force India) will all gain a place on the starting grid.
