Alonso set to receive 35-place grid penalty

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Fernando Alonso is set to receive a 35-place grid penalty as a result of a complete power unit change at the Belgian Grand Prix.

McLaren found a water leak from the energy recovery system (ERS) during FP1, ruling Alonso out of the session after just three laps. The problem was big enough to require a complete power unit change to allow Alonso to be able to take part in FP2 on Friday afternoon.

With Honda bringing a major power unit upgrade to Spa-Francorchamps, Alonso was already on his fifth of every power unit component - with all six having been new for this weekend. McLaren is changing the whole engine, meaning Alonso will be using the sixth of each component.

The current regulations mean the first time the sixth of any component is used, Alonso will receive a ten-place grid penalty. Each subsequent time the sixth of any component is used, a five-place grid penalty is imposed. As a result, Alonso is set to take a 35-place grid penalty for this weekend's race.

Alonso's penalty follows a 30-place grid penalty for Lewis Hamilton, with the championship leader taking a sixth turbocharger and MGU-H, while Marcus Ericsson also has a 10-place grid penalty for using a sixth turbocharger.

Honda's upgrade cost seven development tokens, with the focus on the ICE, with Honda focusing on improving combustion efficiency by updating the combustion chamber. There are also improvements to the turbo and the compressor, which is a continuation of the work Honda did with a turbo upgrade in Canada.

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