McLaren-Honda were forced to switch engines on Fernando Alonso’s MP4-31 in between first and second practice at the Hungaroring as the team noticed a potential issue developing on his car.
Data from the car post-session highlighted an issue that could have compromised his race weekend, so the team switched Alonso’s engine to one he has previously utilised during the 2016 season.
The Spaniard will not take a penalty as he has not introduced any new components to the engine, and he will return to the engine he has used at Monaco and Canadian Grand Prix, the European Grand Prix at the Baku Street Circuit in Azerbaijan and at the Austrian Grand Prix.
It will however have the recent updates to the Energy Recover System and Internal Combustion Engine that McLaren have been using in recent races, meaning the Spaniard should not be compromised in performance this weekend in Hungary.
Alonso completed twenty-eight laps of the Hungaroring during first practice, ending seventh quickest, just ahead of his British team-mate Jenson Button, but more than two and a half seconds down on the pace set by Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes AMG PETRONAS, who look to have the measure on the field once again this weekend.
