Ricciardo faces grid penalties in Canada

Daniel Ricciardo is set to be hit with multiple grid penalties at the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver, who won the Monaco Grand Prix last time out despite engine problems, is facing penalties after using too many engine parts.

“He will definitely be taking some penalties in Montreal,” said Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey. “We haven’t heard yet just how many.”

With just six races of the 21-race season gone , Ricciardo has already used both of his permitted MGU-Ks (motor generator units).

Using a third will mean an automatic 10-place grid penalty, something that Newey said was inevitable as his second one was beyond repair.

“I rather doubt it, considering it caught fire and was a burnt out, charred wreck,” he said. “I would be somewhat surprised at that one.”

The Australian may also face a five-point penalty if he uses a further energy store (battery).

“One of the things there is whether the battery was damaged or not in Monaco, so until we know that from Renault, we don’t know exactly what we’re facing,” added Newey.

The pending penalties will make Ricciardo’s task of catching championship leader Lewis Hamilton all the more harder as the Red Bull driver currently lies 38 points behind the Briton.

Meanwhile, Red Bull are set to introduce an upgraded Renault engine at Montreal, but Newey warned against expecting any huge improvements.

“It’s about 1% (more power), which is a tenth of a second. So it’s worth having but it’s not a make or break,” he added.