Power units: Tsunoda to receive additional PU elements in Mexico

AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda will start at the back of the grid for the Mexico City Grand Prix after his team elected to change several power unit components in his AT04.

The current generation of F1 power units features seven different elements: the internal combustion engine (ICE), motor generator unit-heat (MGU-H), motor generator unit-kinetic (MGU-K), turbocharger, energy store (ES), control electronics (CE) and exhaust.

Over the course of the 2023 season, a driver may use no more than four ICEs, MGU-Hs, MGU-Ks and turbochargers. Furthermore, drivers are restricted to two energy stores and control electronics, and eight of each of the four elements that make up a set of exhaust systems (comprising primaries left-hand side, primaries right-hand side, secondary LHS and secondary RHS).

AlphaTauri have confirmed that Tsunoda’s car was fitted with a number of new components in Mexico City, which included several power unit elements such as the Internal Combustion Engine, Turbo Charger, Motor Generator Unit – Heat, Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic, Energy Store.

With Tsunoda exceeding his allocation with all his new components, the stewards have decided that he will start the Mexico City F1 race from the back of the grid.

The Japanese driver and freshly-crowned three-time world champion Max Verstappen have received a new exhaust system. It was the seventh unit for Tsunoda and the sixth for the Dutchman with drivers having an allocation of eight exhaust systems across the 2023 F1 season.

Regarding the gearbox units, two drivers have received fresh components for the Mexico City Grand Prix. Tsunoda and Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso will compete with a new gearbox case and cassette and a new gearbox driveline.

Over the course of the 2023 F1 season, drivers have to get around with an allocation of four gearbox cassettes & cases and four driverlines, gear change components and auxiliary components.

Alonso has used three gearbox units so far which means that his fourth unit is still within his permitted allocation for 2023. However, the Japanese racer has already used four gearbox units which means that the change triggers a grid-drop penalty.