Formula 1 United States GP
Perez and Zhou to receive US GP grid drops after engine changes
Sergio Perez and Zhou Guanyu will both take grid penalties for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix after changing engines ahead of practice on Friday.
Luke Smith
Edited: Oct 22, 2022, 8:12 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The FIA confirmed following the start of opening practice at the Circuit of The Americas that Red Bull's Perez and Alfa Romeo driver Zhou had taken an additional engine component since the last race in Japan.
In both cases, it is their fifth internal combustion engine of the season, meaning both Perez and Zhou will drop five places on the grid from their qualifying position on Saturday.
It comes as a setback for Perez in his bid to try and secure second place in the F1 drivers' championship ahead of Charles Leclerc, having seen Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen clinch the drivers' title in Japan.
Perez moved ahead of Leclerc into second place at Suzuka, but sits just one point ahead with four races remaining this season.
The Mexican driver finished second in Japan, one week after his victory in Singapore, and said that his recent momentum "certainly helps" in his push for P2 in the championship.
"When you have a good run of races, the confidence and momentum is with you," said Perez.
"But that doesn't mean anything. You have to go there and prove again and again and hopefully this weekend can be a good one.
"We can have a strong pace and yeah, it would be nice to get a strong result before the home race [in Mexico]."
Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo F1 Team, walks the track with members of his team
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Red Bull will clinch its first constructors' championship since 2013 this weekend so long as Ferrari does not outscore it by 19 points.
Perez said it had been a "tremendous year" for the team and that he hoped it could "finish it on a high."
"I think throughout the season, you know, making the right calls, pushing at the right times has paid off," he said. "I really hope that we are able to clinch that title soon."
Zhou's grid drop will also come as a blow to Alfa Romeo as it looks to hold on to sixth place in the constructors' standings. The team has scored just one point in the last nine races, and is now only seven points clear of Aston Martin in the championship.
No other driver has made a power unit change so far this weekend, although both George Russell and Alex Albon have moved onto their fourth and final permitted gearboxes of the season without any penalty.
Read Also:
- Mercedes reveals final 2022 F1 car updates ahead of US Grand Prix
- FIA to review reduced F1 point rules after Suzuka confusion
- Gasly "reckless" but FIA also shoulders blame: the Suzuka F1 report's key findings
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article FIA to review reduced F1 point rules after Suzuka confusion
Next article United States GP: Sainz leads first F1 practice from Verstappen, Hamilton
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Latest news
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
2 h
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 h
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Feature
Discover prime content
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Formula 1
By Pat Symonds
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe