Ricciardo and Verstappen 19th and 20th as McLaren shuffled forward despite own penalties; Manors start in midfield; Verstappen to also serve drive-through for engine cover failure
Wednesday 9 September 2015 13:11, UK
The provisional starting grid for Sunday's Italian GP has been revealed with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen to form the back row after seven of the 20 drivers were hit with penalties.
In what is fast becoming a race-by-race wait to learn how the rear of the grid will line-up after various penalties are applied for engine and gearbox changes, the two Red Bull-owned teams will form the back two rows of the grid after their four drivers picked up an array of power unit sanctions.
Although Red Bull's Ricciardo picked up the biggest penalty of anyone - 50 places for two engine changes and other associated new elements - Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen will actually line up 20th and last after he failed to set a qualifying time.
The Dutchman, who picked up a 30-place grid drop in any case, entered the fray in the final minute of Q1 to set some sector times but the engine cover on his car spectacularly blew off, exposing the internals of the Renault power pack.
In addition to starting at the back, stewards ruled that Verstappen will have to serve a drive-through penalty within the first three laps of the race for his car leaving the garage in an unsafe condition.
The multitude of penalties for the Red Bull cars mean that struggling McLaren, despite a combined 15-place drop of their own, actually start higher on the grid than where they qualified.
Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso are each due to line up one place higher in 15th and 16th positions respectively.
The big winners of the penalty-spree are backmarkers Manor, however, who despite setting the slowest times in qualifying start 13th and 14th with Will Stevens and Roberto Merhi respectively - the team's best-ever two-car starting position since their entry into F1 as Virgin in 2010.
Meanwhile, in another confusing quirk, Sauber's Marcus Ericsson, who had been due to serve a three-place penalty for blocking Nico Hulkenberg in Q1, only loses two positions on the revised grid after his penalty was applied last. The Swede therefore starts 12th, with Lotus's Pastor Maldonado promoted to 10th.
Provisional starting grid
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
3. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
4. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
5. Felipe Massa, Williams
6. Valtteri Bottas, Williams
7. Sergio Perez, Force India
8. Romain Grosjean, Lotus
9. Nico Hulkenberg, Force India
10. Pastor Maldonado, Lotus
11. Felipe Nasr, Sauber
12. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber *
13. Will Stevens, Manor
14. Roberto Merhi, Manor
15. Jenson Button, McLaren *
16. Fernando Alonso, McLaren *
17. Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso *
18. Daniil Kvyat, Red Bull *
19. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull *
20. Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso *
* indicates grid penalty
