How close every F1 driver is to receiving a penalty for using too many power unit elements

Follow us on Google Discover

Formula 1 drivers only have a limited amount of power unit components they can use throughout the 24-race season.

With 10 races down some drivers are starting to eat into their allocation for the year, which will put them at risk of incurring a penalty later on.

This year is slightly different after the power unit allocation was expanded from three to four per driver for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, following the increase that was made midway through the 2023 season.

What are the rules around F1 power units?

Modern hybrid F1 power units consist of six main elements; the internal combustion engine (ICE), turbocharger (TC), two motor generator units (MGU), energy store (ES), control electronics (CE), and exhaust (EX).

Each driver can use eight exhausts and four of the ICE, MGU-H and MGU-Ks. This drops down to three turbochargers, then only two energy stores and control electronics being permitted throughout the year.

The first time an extra element is used out of the allocation, a driver will incur a 10-place grid penalty. The next time will result in a five-place grid penalty. If a driver exceeds 15 grid places they will be required to start from the pit lane.

How does close is each driver to a penalty?

After the Spanish Grand Prix, several drivers could end up taking a penalty before the F1 summer break at the end of July.

Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen are the two standouts at risk, but what about the rest of the field? Below is an overview of their current allocation usage.

The usage table is a good indication of which teams suffer the most from reliability issues the most, with those using Mercedes power units impacted the least.