Daniel Ricciardo is at risk of being thrown out of Singapore Grand Prix qualifying after his Renault was found to be in breach of Formula 1’s MGU-K technical regulations.
The Australian had qualified eighth at the Marina Bay circuit, where Renault hopes to continue a run of form that has helped it close in on rival McLaren in the constructors’ championship.
But a post-qualifying inspection of his car by the FIA has found that the MGU-K delivered more electrical energy than is allowed under the regulations.
A note from F1 technical delegate Joe Bauer said: “During qualifying session 1, car number 03, driver Daniel Ricciardo, exceeded the MGU-K power limit of 120 kW, which is in breach of Article 5.2.2 and the Energy Flow Diagram shown in Appendix 3 of the 2019 Formula One Technical Regulations.”
The matter has therefore been referred to the stewards for assessment.
Should the stewards confirm that Ricciardo’s car was in breach of the rules, then the possible consequences of that include him being excluded from qualifying.
If that happens then Renault would likely request for Ricciardo to be allowed to start the race from the back of the grid.
