Toro Rosso duo Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley are set for grid penalties at the Russian Grand Prix, with Honda poised to introduce its latest engine update.
Honda linked up with Toro Rosso on a three-year deal for 2018 after its partnership with McLaren concluded, and next season the Japanese marque will supply Red Bull.
It will be the first time in over a decade that Honda has supplied more than one team in Formula 1.
Honda introduced an updated package in Canada and its latest upgrade is to be introduced in Russia, ahead of its home event in Japan next weekend.
Any updated component is to result in a grid penalty for both Gasly and Hartley, with the pair having comfortably exceeded their respective allocation of components for the 2018 season.
“We are introducing some Power Unit updates on both cars here in Sochi,” Honda confirmed.
“We're looking at more performance in the long term, which does mean penalties here in the short term.”
Toro Rosso holds eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship, a drop in one position compared to their ranking from 2014 through 2017.
Gasly took Honda’s best result since it returned to Formula 1 when he placed fourth in Bahrain in April.
Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo are also set to take on grid penalties, with the duo likely to revert to Renault’s B-Spec power unit.
