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Penalised Gasly to start from back of Germany grid
After a tricky triple header, Pierre Gasly's hopes of bouncing back with a top-ten finish in Hockenheim now look slim, with the Toro Rosso driver joining Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo at the back of the grid after Honda opted to change several elements of his power unit.
Ahead of the German Grand Prix, the FIA confirmed that a complete new Honda power unit has been fitted to Gasly's car. The changes include his fifth engine, turbocharger and MGU-H, his fourth MGU-K and third energy store and control electronics.
The result is the maximum 15-place grid penalty for the Frenchman, as all the component changes have exceeded his limit for the season, and he now faces an uphill battle to bring home much-needed points on Sunday.
Honda explained: "Prior to today's race, for tactical reasons, we are changing all PU elements with the exception of battery-related components on Pierre's car."
Gasly - who dropped out of the points at Silverstone after being handed a five-second penalty - was 16th on the provisional grid but he now starts behind team mate Brendon Hartley, Williams’ Lance Stroll and McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne.
Riccardo was handed a grid penalty on Friday after Red Bull also opted to change a number of power unit components on his car.
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