Grid penalties cloud the upcoming Sanya E-Prix
It is going to be a long walk to the front for several drivers at Round 11 in Sanya. Four competitors are heading into the weekend carrying grid penalties as a direct consequence of the carnage we witnessed back at the Monaco E-Prix.
The most extreme case belongs to Lucas di Grassi. The Lola Yamaha ABT driver is set to serve a massive 40-place grid penalty after the team was forced to change both his MCU and gearbox following the start of qualifying in Monaco. It is a tough blow for the Brazilian, who is preparing for his final season of professional racing after scoring points in both Monaco rounds.
DS PENSKE is also in for a difficult weekend, as both Taylor Barnard and Maximilian Gunther have been sanctioned. The 21-year-old Barnard carries a ten-place penalty for two separate incidents in Sunday’s race involving Nissan’s Norman Nato and Citroen Racing’s Jean-Eric Vergne. Meanwhile, teammate Gunther will drop three places for exceeding speed limits during a Full Course Yellow. Rounding out the penalized group is CUPRA KIRO’s Pepe Marti, who takes a five-place hit for failing to leave enough room for Citroen’s Nick Cassidy during their clash at Turn 18.
