Welcome at RacingNews365

Become part of the largest racing community in the United Kingdom. Create your free account now!

  • Share your thoughts and opinions about F1
  • Win fantastic prizes
  • Get access to our premium content
  • Take advantage of more exclusive benefits
Sign in
Brazilian Grand Prix 2021

Which F1 drivers are on the brink of engine penalties?

Almost all drivers on the 2021 F1 grid have been hit with penalties for engine changes this season, and more could follow at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Verstappen start Mexico
Article
To news overview © Red Bull Contentpool/Getty Images

Engine-related grid penalties remain a key topic of conversation as the Formula 1 paddock moves on to Interlagos for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

After Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko revealed "rumours" of an engine penalty for Lewis Hamilton this weekend, neither the Briton nor Mercedes ruled out the possibility, with the team explaining that any change will only be confirmed through the FIA's official documentation.

For the 2021 campaign, teams are allowed to use three Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs), three Turbochargers, three MGU-Hs, three MGU-Ks, two Energy Stores, two Control Electronics and eight Exhausts per car without incurring a penalty.

In Hamilton's case, as he has already exceeded his permitted number of ICEs, which triggered a 10-place grid penalty for the first offence, moving onto a fifth unit would result in a lesser drop of five positions.

Of the 20 drivers on the 2021 grid, only four are yet to receive a grid penalty for a fourth engine change. All four of these drivers use a Ferrari unit: Alfa Romeo pair Kimi Raikkonen, Antonio Giovinazzi and Haas rookies Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.

Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas is still the driver with the most engine changes so far. He is using his sixth Mercedes engine of the season.

2021 power unit elements used

Driver ICE TC MGU-H MGU-K ES CE EX
Hamilton 4 3 3 3 2 2 4
Bottas 6 5 5 4 2 3 6
Verstappen 4 4 4 4 3 3 7
Perez 4 4 4 4 4 4 7
Ricciardo 4 4 4 2 2 2 4
Norris 4 4 4 3 2 2 6
Stroll 4 4 4 2 2 3 4
Vettel 4 4 4 3 2 2 5
Alonso 4 4 4 4 3 3 9
Ocon 4 4 4 4 3 3 9
Leclerc 4 4 4 3 3 3 6
Sainz 4 4 4 3 3 3 7
Tsunoda 4 4 4 4 3 3 7
Gasly 4 4 4 4 3 3 7
Raikkonen 3 3 3 2 2 2 7
Giovinazzi 3 3 3 2 2 2 7
Mazepin 3 3 3 2 2 2 6
Schumacher 3 3 3 2 2 2 6
Russell 4 4 4 2 2 2 4
Latifi 4 4 4 2 2 2 4

2021 power unit allowance

Power unit part Allowance
ICE 3
TC 3
MGU-H 3
MGU-K 3
ES 2
CE 2
EX 8

ICE – Internal Combustion Engine, TC – Turbocharger, MGU-H – Motor Generator Unit Heat, MGU-K – Motor Generator Unit Kinetic, ES – Energy Store, CE – Control Electronics, EX – Exhaust System.

Also interesting:

Video: F1 Sprint Qualifying Races explained

The third 'F1 Sprint' event will take place at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil. How does the new qualifying format work? Here's everything you need to know...

Don't miss out on any of the Formula 1 action thanks to this handy 2026 F1 calendar that can be easily loaded into your smartphone or PC.

Download the calender

F1 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix RN365 News dossier

Join the conversation!

Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2025 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.

Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar

A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..

x
RESULTS 2025 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix