Yuki Tsunoda is set to start the Belgian Grand Prix at the back of the grid, with RB sporting director Alan Permane confirming he will take a power unit penalty.
The Japanese driver was on the cusp of needing to extend his power unit components pool. Following the previous round, in Hungary, the 24-year-old had maximised his allocated engine parts.
As confirmed by the FIA, Tsunoda has already used the maximum four allowed parts for the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), Turbo Charger (TC), Motor Generator Unit- Heat (MGU-H) and Motor Generator Unit-Kinetic (MGU-K).
He has also used two Energy Stores (ES), two Control Electronics (CE) - for both of which is the maximum number allowed - and five Engine Exhaust Systems (EX).
"Can I give you a scoop," Permane told media including RacingNews365. "Yuki's taking a PU penalty here... so Yuki will start from the back."
It is not yet confirmed which parts will be changed in the back of his RB, but is expected to be multiple elements, with Permane stating a back-of-grid start, not a mere 10-place drop.
Therefore, once confirmed, it will render Saturday's qualifying session broadly inconsequential for the RB driver.
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