Carlos Sainz Jr. is set to join Alexander Albon at the back of the grid after confirmation that he will take on fresh power unit components for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Sainz Jr. was already on the limit in the wake of a spate of reliability setbacks through the early events, and had been braced for a grid drop prior to the summer break.
On Friday morning it was confirmed by the FIA that the McLaren driver has taken on a fresh version of each of the six components that make up the power unit.
He will now move on to Renault's upgraded specification which Daniel Ricciardo used in France, and McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl described as "a good step" over its predecessor.
As a result he will drop to the rear of the grid, alongside Toro Rosso’s Albon, who has taken on Honda’s Spec 3 power unit.
Sainz Jr. has been on a strong run of form in recent events, with sixth place in France consolidating his status as Formula 1’s lead midfield driver.
