Franco Colapinto is set for another grid penalty at Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia after taking a new Mercedes V6 engine. The Alpine driver was already facing a five-place drop carried over from Baku for causing a collision, and now receives an additional 10-place penalty for exceeding the annual allowance of four engines. A total of 15 places means he will start from the back row.
Alpine's decision to introduce a new power unit at Sepang comes as Colapinto is already mired in the midfield, making points difficult. The team deemed it worthwhile to take the penalty now to minimise damage and gather data for the rest of the season.
Alpine is currently engaged in a tight battle with Racing Bulls for fifth place in the constructors' championship. The Baku incident widened the gap to 15 points, and with Colapinto starting from the back, the team faces an uphill task to score in Malaysia.
Colapinto's teammate, Pierre Gasly, is also due a new power unit in the coming races, but Alpine has not yet decided when to introduce it and take the grid penalty.
At Racing Bulls, rookie Arvid Lindblad will also take a penalty for a new engine, turbocharger, and exhaust, demoting him to the back of the grid. Meanwhile, Red Bull's Isack Hadjar goes back five places for taking his seventh V6 engine of the year.
With these penalties, the grid order in Bahrain will differ from qualifying. Affected teams must devise clever strategies to move forward, while their rivals look to capitalise on the situation.
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