SUZUKA, Japan -- Fernando Alonso will receive a 35-place grid penalty at the Japanese Grand Prix after McLaren-Honda was forced to change his car's power unit overnight.
The hydraulic issue was discovered after second practice as the team rebuilt the car and is the latest in a long list of reliability problems for Honda this year. The overnight change meant McLaren broke the mechanics' curfew for the second time this year, leaving it with no more curfew exemptions for the rest of the season.
The change means Alonso has now used eight internal combustion engines, eight MGU-Ks, 10 MGU-Hs, 10 turbochargers, seven hybrid batteries and six control electronics this season.