Stroll changes gears.
Lance Stroll will have a new gearbox for the Japanese Grand Prix. The Canadian driver has been given a new component from the ones available in his quota of 4 gearboxes per season. He will not be penalized by the FIA. However, this is the 4th gearbox that has been installed, which could prove challenging for the remaining races.
Indeed, beyond 4 gearboxes installed on the race car during the season, a penalty of 5 grid places is applied at the start. With 4 races remaining after Suzuka, there is a risk of being penalized in case of reliability issues or weakness of a component.
Gasly and Tsunoda with new exhausts.
The two AlphaTauri drivers, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda, have also seen a new part installed on their car. It’s a new exhaust system that is also part of the components limited to a quota of 8 per season. It is the 7th different component used for each of the two AlphaTauri drivers, so they are not penalized.
Alpine did not use new engines.
Alpine suffered a crushing failure last week in Singapore as Alonso had the potential to score big points. Both drivers, in fact, had their engines break during the race. This mishap does not have any impact this weekend in Suzuka as the engine that was supposed to be used here was different from the ones that broke in Singapore. However, it is possible that the team may be affected later in the season.
