Alonso and Stroll handed back-row penalties in Baku

FIA stewards have imposed a 25-place grid penalty on Fernando Alonso and a 20-place penalty on Lance Stroll for exceeding their power-unit component allowances, assigning both Aston Martin drivers to the back of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix grid if they are classified in qualifying. Alonso’s penalty follows the use of a fifth internal combustion engine, a fifth turbocharger and a ninth ancillary power-unit component. The stewards’ decision assigns 10 places for each of the engine and turbocharger and five for the ancillary component, for a total of 25. Stroll’s 20-place penalty covers a sixth turbocharger, seventh energy store, sixth control electronics unit and eighth ancillary component. Each additional component carries a five-place penalty in his case, according to the stewards’ decision. Because both penalties exceed 15 places, the regulations place the drivers at the back of the grid rather than translating the full totals into individual grid positions. The stewards’ decisions state that the back-row assignments apply subject to each car being classified in qualifying. The decisions establish the penalties after earlier reports had described them as expected.