22-08-2018, 04:06 PM
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/renau...n/3159339/
Renault expects Nico Hulkenberg to take a grid penalty during the remainder of the Formula 1 season after the energy store failure he suffered in Hungary.
Hulkenberg stopped on track at the Hungaroring during Friday practice and Renault had to revert to the energy store he started the season with for the rest of the weekend.
The team initially feared that the failure would trigger MGU-K and MGU-H problems as it damaged some wiring looms, but the energy recovery systems were unharmed.
However, Renault chassis technical director Nick Chester said the energy store will not be re-used this season and he does not expect Hulkenberg to complete the year with the used component re-fitted in Hungary.
Hulkenberg had moved onto his second energy store in Austria, along with teammate Carlos Sainz and both drivers at Renault customer McLaren.
He will need to use a third energy store, one more than allowed by the regulations, which means a five-place grid drop.
"I think probably most people are aware we were probably going to have to take a penalty at some point anyway on energy store," said Chester in Hungary.
"It's quite badly damaged. It had a short somewhere, so it's not like the cells have done something weird on their own."
Any driver who took an early energy store change, or has lost the use of it completely because it suffered a terminal failure, is under pressure to avoid future penalties.
Renault expects Nico Hulkenberg to take a grid penalty during the remainder of the Formula 1 season after the energy store failure he suffered in Hungary.
Hulkenberg stopped on track at the Hungaroring during Friday practice and Renault had to revert to the energy store he started the season with for the rest of the weekend.
The team initially feared that the failure would trigger MGU-K and MGU-H problems as it damaged some wiring looms, but the energy recovery systems were unharmed.
However, Renault chassis technical director Nick Chester said the energy store will not be re-used this season and he does not expect Hulkenberg to complete the year with the used component re-fitted in Hungary.
Hulkenberg had moved onto his second energy store in Austria, along with teammate Carlos Sainz and both drivers at Renault customer McLaren.
He will need to use a third energy store, one more than allowed by the regulations, which means a five-place grid drop.
"I think probably most people are aware we were probably going to have to take a penalty at some point anyway on energy store," said Chester in Hungary.
"It's quite badly damaged. It had a short somewhere, so it's not like the cells have done something weird on their own."
Any driver who took an early energy store change, or has lost the use of it completely because it suffered a terminal failure, is under pressure to avoid future penalties.
"When a man holds you round the throat, I don't think he has come to apologise"
Ayrton Senna on Nigel Mansell, SPA 1987.
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