McLaren is still evaluating whether Stoffel Vandoorne will need to take on new power unit components at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, which would result in a grid penalty, following his retirement in Italy.
Vandoorne has exceeded his allocation of power unit components due to an array of reliability problems this year and is on to his 10th MGU-H and Turbocharger, along with his seventh Internal Combustion Engine and MGU-K.
Fernando Alonso took engine penalties in Italy after Honda introduced its Spec 3.7 power unit, in order to maximise his prospects in Singapore, with the layout set to mask some of the MCL32's weaknesses.
Vandoorne, meanwhile, had to take a penalty after a loss of power in qualifying, and then suffered a further issue in the race at Monza, owing to a suspected MGU-K issue, and it has not yet been determined whether new components will be required.
Should Honda need to fit new components to Vandoorne's MCL32 – as opposed to recycling old-spec parts – a five- or 10-place grid penalty will be issued to the Belgian at this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix.
“We’ve worked hard to try to avoid incurring any penalties which could halt our progress in Singapore,” said Racing Director Eric Boullier.
“We hope that following Stoffel’s retirement in Monza we won’t have to use any new power unit elements, although this is yet to be officially confirmed.”
Vandoorne, who has never competed around the streets of Marina Bay, is optimistic of a stronger weekend, after McLaren’s struggles in Belgium and Italy.
“We’ve had a tough couple of races as a team, but from my side I’ve also been encouraged by the performances we’ve put in across the course of each weekend,” said Vandoorne.
“In every session we’ve been able to take away positives – even if we haven’t managed to get the cars to the end of the race or finish with a good result.
“I’m pretty sure we’re due some better luck, so I hope in Singapore we’ll be able to maximise the strengths of our package over the whole weekend, and finish the all-important race day on a high on Sunday afternoon.”
