FIA confirms Ricciardo F1 power unit changes for China
The FIA has confirmed that Daniel Ricciardo's car has been fitted with two new elements on his Renault Formula 1 power unit ahead of this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, edging him closer to a grid penalty.
Ricciardo was forced to retire from last weekend's race in Bahrain after an electrical issue caused his Red Bull RB14 car to shut down after just one racing lap as the team ailed to its first double DNF since Korea 2010.
The FIA has confirmed that Daniel Ricciardo's car has been fitted with two new elements on his Renault Formula 1 power unit ahead of this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, edging him closer to a grid penalty.
Ricciardo was forced to retire from last weekend's race in Bahrain after an electrical issue caused his Red Bull RB14 car to shut down after just one racing lap as the team ailed to its first double DNF since Korea 2010.
The Australian driver confirmed on Thursday he would be taking a new battery for China after the failure, saying the old one was not in the pool for the rest of the season due to the issue and that it was "in the bin - in Bahrain somewhere, at the bottom of the sea".
In its regular power unit elements update ahead of this weekend's race in Shanghai, the FIA confirmed that Ricciardo's car had been fitted with a new energy store and control electronics, putting him onto the second of two usages of each part for the season.
Ricciardo is already braced for grid penalties later in the season due to the tighter restrictions for power units in 2018, with a drop inevitable unless he can make both of the new parts last for the remaining 19 races of the season.
"We survived with one for one race so it’s more likely than not that we will have a penalty," Ricciardo said.
"But hopefully it’s happening later."
