Stoffel Vandoorne will be handed a 40 place grid penalty for his first home race after it was confirmed he would take a new gearbox on Saturday.
The young Belgian already had a 35 place penalty for other component changes so the team decided to replace the gearbox before the 6 race limit.
The other components changed were his 8th turbo, 8th MGU-H, 6th energy store, 6th control unit, 5th engine and 5th MGU-K.
“It doesn’t affect my motivation,” said Vandoorne.
“It’s maybe a shame that it happens in Spa, but it is the way it is. The penalties were inevitable considering all the failures we’ve had in the beginning of the season. It was always going to be like this.
“We need to think about the future. Hopefully, it will help in other Grand Prix.”
“It definitely won’t be easy,” he added regarding his race chances.”
“If we look at the top speeds in the first and final sectors, then we’re lacking a lot.” he added regarding his race chances.”
“Overtaking opportunities are minimal for us. Hopefully, with a bit of weather, we can still have a good result. We’re always a bit depending on what’s happening in front of us.”
