F1 star slapped with unusual 60-place grid penalty after Max Verstappen also took punishment
Max Verstappen has been handed a 10-place grid penalty
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Max Verstappen may have been handed a 10-place grid penalty, but that pales in comparison to the punishment Yuki Tsunoda has received from the FIA.
It had already been reported that Verstappen was expected to take a grid penalty for taking a fifth internal combustion engine unit, taking him past his allowance for the season.
The iconic Spa track offers plenty of overtaking opportunities and is often a place where teams bring new components.
But Verstappen's decision to take a new ICE unit means he will drop 10 places on Sunday's starting grid.
Max Verstappen has been handed a 10-place grid penalty
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That could leave him with too much to do to try and catch the likes of Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton.
However, he will have an easier task than RB's Tsunoda who has been handed an unprecedented 60-place grid penalty.
The Japanese star has brought in a fifth ICE, turbocharger, MGU-H and MGU-K as well as his third energy store and third set of control electronics for this weekend.
Any time a driver exceeds the allocation of any of the seven power unit elements, they are automatically given a 10-place grid penalty.
Tsunoda exceeded his allocation on six of the changes made to his car, resulting in the 60-place grid penalty.
But it appears as though RB have found a loophole in the FIA's punishment system as he will only have to start from the back of the grid this weekend.
There's set to be rain over the weekend in Spa and Tsunoda is hopeful he can still help out his team-mate despite his starting position.
Yuki Tsunoda has been handed a 60-place grid penalty
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“Normally we perform well in the rain,” Tsunoda said.
“For now, I prefer rain, but any condition, I’ll just focus on what I can help for Daniel — slipstreaming or whatever.”
Tsunoda struggled in both practice sessions on Friday, ending FP2 dead last while Daniel Ricciardo faired slightly better.
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Yuki Tsunoda will start the race from the back of the grid
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But the 24-year-old revealed they found an issue with his car during practice that may have hampered his day.
“I think it was pretty difficult, especially for our side of the garage,” he said.
“We found the issue, especially where we’re lacking where we’re compared to other cars, including the other side of the garage.
“Hopefully we can repair that for tomorrow.”
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