Lando Norris is expected to incur a grid penalty later this Formula 1 season after his first engine of the year was rendered unusable due to reliability issues. The McLaren driver revealed that the power unit is 'finished' after problems during the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Norris's race in Bahrain was compromised by a pneumatic problem that required extensive pit lane management, while teammate Oscar Piastri retired with an electronics fault on his debut. The British driver has now taken a new internal combustion engine, along with a turbocharger, MGU-H and MGU-K, for this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Although these changes do not incur an immediate penalty, Norris is now down to just two engines for the remaining 22 race weekends. F1 regulations allow each driver three engines per season before penalties are applied, making it highly likely he will exceed the quota.
Norris told reporters: 'I took a whole new engine because the other one is finished already.' The reliability issues have masked McLaren's car performance, which showed improved race pace in Bahrain. The midfield is extremely tight, with Norris noting that just two-tenths of a second separated him from last place in Friday practice in Jeddah.
Despite the challenges, Norris remains optimistic about the weekend ahead. 'It feels alright, to be honest, the car. I'm struggling a bit with overall balance but we're just doing the best with what we've got,' he said.
