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Alpine driver Pierre Gasly faces a 50-place grid penalty ahead of the 2024 F1 British GP. It has been awarded due to the several changes that were made to his car's power unit in one go.
Alpine have struggled to keep up in the midfield since the start of the season. Both Ocon and Gasly were near the end of the grid in the first few races, but the French team worked hard and crept forward with the help of a few major upgrades. As of now, Gasly has more championship points than Ocon on the drivers' table.
Coming into the British GP, Alpine had to change some power unit parts on Pierre Gasly's car. Since the change of each power unit part is punished with a 10-place grid penalty, the French driver was handed a 20-place grid penalty for changing the car's battery itself.
Because Gasly was already set to start the British GP from the back of the grid after that, the team took the opportunity to change even more parts on his car. In total, five parts were changed on his car, which resulted in a whopping 50-place grid penalty, while F1 currently only has 20 grid places.
The FIA released an official document about Pierre Gasly's award, in which they explained how he got a 50-place grid penalty.
"The use of each additional element in this case carries a 10 grid-place penalty. Therefore, there is an accumulation of 50 places. Article 42.3 d) of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations provides that an accrual of greater than 15 grid position penalties must start from the back of the grid," the document reads.
Alpine driver on getting a 50-place grid penalty ahead of the 2024 F1 British GP
Speaking to Canal+ on Thursday, Pierre Gasly explained how the team had to change the battery in his car, which had been faulty for quite some time. This resulted in a 20-second grid penalty.
"We had to change the battery. We had a few little problems earlier in the season which meant that I ended up with a faulty battery, another where we had two or three alerts at certain times. So, we needed to change the battery, which meant a 20-place penalty."
"We're taking the opportunity to add an extra engine because I'll have to start last in any case," Gasly added.
After the Austrian GP, Pierre Gasly is in 15th place with six points.
