Norris joins Tsunoda, Stroll at back of grid after F1 engine change

Norris has become the eighth and final Mercedes-powered F1 driver to exceed their engine allocation for the season, with the Briton switching onto his fourth internal combustion engine. 

It means Norris is set to start from the back of the grid for Sunday’s grand prix in Mexico, along with AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin. 

Both Tsunoda and Stroll have moved onto their fourth ICE, turbocharger and MGU-H for the event from their engine manufacturers Honda and Mercedes. 

Williams driver George Russell will also serve a grid penalty for changing his gearbox after suffering a failure in second practice on Friday. 

Norris's penalty means that 15 of the 20 F1 drivers have been hit with engine penalties so far this season. 

Only the Alfa Romeo duo of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, Haas's rookie pairing of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, and Alpine's Esteban Ocon are yet to exceed their allocation. 

McLaren was not particularly competitive during Friday’s two practice sessions at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with Norris and teammate Daniel Ricciardo finishing both FP1 and FP2 outside of the top 10. 

“We had a tough day for sure,” Norris conceded after second practice. “A long way off the pace. 

“Struggling with the balance of the car, with the altitude and the grip. Not a great day for us. We have a lot of work to do overnight. 

“But I think we have found a good direction to go in between FP1 and FP2, so we can do a few more things going in to tomorrow.” 

The Woking outfit currently holds a 3.5-point advantage over main rival Ferrari in their battle for third place in the constructors’ championship.