Fernando Alonso will take his twelfth power unit of the season for the Brazilian Grand Prix after an issue with the previous two this weekend.
The McLaren-Honda driver lost the unit he used in the United States during second practice on Friday, and then stopped on track using his Mexican unit during his first flying lap during qualifying on Saturday.
The team were unable to find the cause of the problem that saw him stop, and have been forced to fit another internal combustion engine, as well as a new turbocharger, MGU-H, MGU-K, control electronics and energy store.
The change has meant even more penalties for the Spaniard, with the amount for the weekend totalling thirty-five grid places, although this becomes irrelevant as Alonso would have had to start at the back of the grid in any case after failing to set a time during qualifying.
“This is a tough period,” admitted Alonso. “After I didn’t take part in the Mexican Grand Prix, and then missed out entirely on qualifying here in Brazil, well, there’s a degree of frustration, obviously.
“But we understand our situation, and we need to learn from all our mistakes and put everything in place so as not to repeat them next year.
“I think all our weaknesses are being identified, however. The actions we’re taking are logical and sensible, so I’m still optimistic, even though here and even Abu Dhabi are going to be difficult for us.”
