'Norris must fear a grid penalty 2021'
General
- GPblog.com
Lando Norris doesn't seem to be escaping a grid penalty this season either. According to Auto, Motor und Sport the McLaren driver's chances of completing the Grands Prix of the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi with the parts in his current engine pool are low.
After x-number of GP's, engine components wear out, which means that for the sake of reliability, the engine can no longer deliver its maximum power. When an engine is at the end of its lifespan, this can mean a difference of twenty horsepower compared to a brand new one. Norris still has one V6-engine at his disposal with relatively few kilometres on the clock, but the other engine will probably only be used on Fridays.
Grid penalty or not?
At Ferrari Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will in any case drive with a new, improved power unit. It will give them an advantage in the final weekends of the 2021 season. The difference between McLaren and its Italian competitor is only 7.5 points in the Constructors' Championship, so there is work to do for McLaren.
The big question is whether the formation from Woking will decide to also provide Norris with a new engine. This already happened to Daniel Ricciardo in Turkey. Whatever happens, it will be difficult to maintain third place in the world championship. Team principal Andreas Seidl said: "We can probably expect a few more difficult races.