Auto123.com - Helping you drive happy

F1: Vettel to get five-place penalty at Monaco

|
Obtain the best financial rate for your car loan at Automobile En DirectTecnic
Khatir Soltani
By GMM

Toro Rosso racer Sebastian Vettel will approach next week's Monaco grand prix with both a new car and a penalty.

The new STR3 requires a different gearbox installation to its predecessor, the 2007-spec STR2B that has been raced by the German, and his French teammate Sebastien Bourdais, at the first five races of the season.

This year's rules stipulate a mandatory four-race life per gearbox, meaning that Vettel - to use a different gearbox at Monaco to the one that he drove to 17th place in Turkey - will receive a five-position demotion on the grid.

The same penalty will not apply to Bourdais, because the 29-year-old did not finish at Istanbul last Sunday.

"Monte Carlo is the last place you want a punishment like that," the Faenza based team's team co-owner Gerhard Berger lamented to the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport.
Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
  • Over 8 years experience as a car reviewer
  • Over 50 test drives in the last year
  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada