Ocon set for pitlane start at US GP following engine change
Alpine's Esteban Ocon will start Sunday's US Grand Prix from the pitlane, while a gearbox change for Yuki Tsunoda will set the AlphaTauri driver back five places on the starting grid.
Ocon qualified a disappointing P18 on Saturday, which encouraged Alpine to strategically add a fresh engine, energy store and control electronics to the Frenchman's pool of hardware, theoretically putting him out of harm's way in terms of engine elements until the end of the season.
While the changes warranted a back-of-the-grid start for the Frenchman, Alpine forgot to seek the approval of the FIA, an oversight that equates to a pitlane launch for Ocon.
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Tsunoda's new gearbox implies a five-spot demotion for the Japanese charger, who is the sixth driver to receive a grid penalty this weekend.
Ahead of Sunday's bulletin by the FIA describing the changes, Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso and Zhou Guanyu were hit with grid penalties.
Here is the final starting grid for Sunday's United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.
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