Rosberg hit with penalty following crash

Nico Rosberg’s chances of a third consecutive Austrian GP victory were dealt a blow on Saturday with news that he will incur a gearbox penalty following his crash.

The left wishbone of Rosberg’s W07 broke on his first ultrasoft flying lap in Saturday’s final practice.

That put him onto the grass and into the barrier nose first with the impact whipping his car around, resulting in rear end damage as well.

Motorsport boss Toto Wolff revealed at the time that Rosberg could face a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change, which Mercedes have now confirmed.

“Nico Rosberg will incur a a gearbox penalty as a full new unit will be fitted for qualy,” the team tweeted.

Mercedes added that the “guys in the garage working flat out to repair the car for qualifying so that Nico can take part.”