Button to receive drive-through penalty

2015 Canadian Grand Prix

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Jenson Button will incur a drive-through penalty to be served during the Canadian Grand Prix after four of his power unit components were replaced.

McLaren have fitted a new engine, MGU-K, MGU-H and turbocharger to Button’s car. The latter two are the fifth examples of each he has used this year, meaning he incurs a penalty for changing them.

Ordinarily Button would incur a ten-place plus a five-place grid penalty for the two infractions. However as he is already starting from last place, these penalties cannot be served. His total 15-place grid demotion is therefore converted into a drive-through penalty under new rules introduced this year.

Button suffered an ERS failure during practice which led to engine damage. Max Verstappen will also serve a penalty after the race has started for a power unit component change.

2015 Canadian Grand Prix

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    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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    16 comments on “Button to receive drive-through penalty”

    1. Wow just wow! I think in the second part of the season we will need calculators to see how many teams will get penalties for what “lawn motor” part they change. Btw great way to promote new F1 entries by penalizing the brain out of them until they sort their stuff out.

      1. Rules are rules. They we’re perfectly aware of them before the season start. There is nobody to blame but themselves. Mercedes and Ferrari engines are so far working to the rules, it was up to Honda and Renault to do a better job.

        They say who dares, wins – so let’s see if the risks Honda have taken pay off next season. As for Renault, they are nowhere.

        1. Pay off next season, really?
          McLaren/Honda will still be miles behind Ferrari & Mercedes next season, it will be at least three years before McLaren/Honda have a chance at winning a race let alone challenging for titles.
          The best thing McLaren/Honda could’ve done is buy one the the teams that went bust like RedBull did with Torro Rosso to get more data, that would of course edge towards the main/top teams having control over more cars.
          Button mas as well have gone home this race, of course to finish first first you have to finish, but the McLaren/Honda package is poor & now the drivers are driving with one hand behind their backs.
          All this going on about how McLaren/Honda were the top team in the 80’s is looking through rose tinted glasses, times have changed & they won’t be the same again.

      2. Hm, yeah. But look at the likes of Mercedes teams who are still mostly on their first engine for the 7th race in a row. And the Ferrari teams are comfortably within the limit too, showing its really about how well the engine manufacturer does.
        And also remember that 10 years ago we were still more or less expecting an engine or 2 to fail every weekend @dex022!

    2. I’ve never been keen on in-race penalties to drivers for things over which they zero control. More often than not it’s a case of kicking those who are already down.

      1. The driver is part of a TEAM so he takes the penalty for the TEAM. A driver is not isolated from his team. Punish the TEAM and the driver feels it. F1 is a TEAM ‘sport’.

      2. There aren’t really any other ways to apply penalties though

        1. Fine them.

          The driver is a singular part of the TEAM, there is no “I” in TEAM.

          I don’t see the point in the penalties, as long as Button has this engine in his car he should incur a ten-place plus a five-place grid penalty for the two infractions every single race otherwise there is zero point in the penalty in the first instance.

          1. When the penalties amount to a quarter of a lap, that’s rather more than fifteen places on the grid…

    3. I think they really need mature drivers to cope with this endless disappointment. I’m sure they’ll hang onto JB next year.

      1. Especially as he has a 2 year contract…

        1. His last contract in F1, i’m sure he’s glad it’s a fat one as well, sad way for him to go out really.

    4. So many penalties and the race hasn’t even started :)

      Hope they know where the cars need to start. Would hate to see drivers get more penalties added for being in the wrong spot.

    5. I hate these in-race penalties for pre-race infractions. I’d much prefer it if they delayed them at the start by holding them in the pits for x seconds.

      I also don’t understand why the FIA is so strict with penalties when they are happy to gift free laps to backmarkers behind the safety car.

    6. That penalty might not be such a bad thing for JB, since he is not likely to score points on this power track from the pitlane anyway.

      Now he’s got a new engine which as far as I known he can keep

    7. That penalty might not be such a bad thing for JB, since he is not likely to score points on this power track from the pitlane anyway.

      Now he’s got a new engine which as far as I known he can keep.

      Or have I missed sth in the rules?

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