The FIA took some time to confirm it, but Fernando Alonso’s 5-place grid penalty has indeed been applied last night. The Alpine driver will therefore start in 14th position.
The 2022 F1 sporting regulations state that each driver can only use up to 3 engines per season (thermal, MGU-H or MGU-K electrical). This limit was exceeded a long time ago by Alonso, who just installed his 6th V6 engine in Austin for the US Grand Prix.
The penalty is a 5-place grid drop for each component replaced beyond the allowed quota. Therefore, Alonso will start 14th on the grid and leaves Norris far ahead in the battle for 4th place in the constructors’ championship between Alpine and McLaren.
Indeed, if the advantage is currently in favor of Alpine in the standings, McLaren is positioning its pieces correctly for the moment on the Circuit of the Americas since Norris (McLaren) will start 6th and the second Alpine driver, Esteban Ocon, qualified 18th, behind Daniel Ricciardo, 17th.
The battle is far from over, with 4 races left in the season for the 4th place in the constructors’ standings.
