Azerbaijan GP: official power unit table shows all drivers at risk of penalties
During the season, teams cannot freely replace power unit components: regulations impose strict limits, beyond which penalties are applied. At this stage of the 2025 season, all drivers have already reached or exceeded these limits, making strategic management of component changes—and the resulting penalties—a key factor in the final stretch of the championship.
According to Article 28.2 of the regulations, in 2025 a driver is allowed no more than 4 internal combustion engines (ICE), 4 turbochargers (TC), 4 MGU-H, 4 MGU-K, 2 energy stores (ES), 2 electronic control units (CE), and 8 exhaust systems (EX) over the course of the season.
Updated table of power unit components used in 2025 (after GP Monza and FIA document of 19/09)
| No. | Team | Driver | ICE | TC | MGU-H | MGU-K | ES | CE | EX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | McLaren | Oscar Piastri | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 04 | McLaren | Lando Norris | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 16 | Ferrari | Charles Leclerc | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 44 | Ferrari | Lewis Hamilton | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 01 | Red Bull | Max Verstappen | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 22 | Red Bull | Yuki Tsunoda | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 63 | Mercedes | George Russell | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 12 | Mercedes | Kimi Antonelli | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 18 | Aston Martin | Lance Stroll | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 14 | Aston Martin | Fernando Alonso | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 10 | Alpine | Pierre Gasly | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 07 | Alpine | Franco Colapinto | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 31 | Haas | Esteban Ocon | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 87 | Haas | Olivier Bearman | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 06 | Red Bull | Isack Hadjar | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 30 | Red Bull | Liam Lawson | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 23 | Williams | Alexander Albon | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 55 | Williams | Carlos Sainz | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 27 | Kick Sauber | Gabriel Bortoleto | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 05 | Kick Sauber | Nico Hulkenberg | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Current situation
The latest updates confirm that no driver has any margin left: every replacement of major power unit components from now on will incur grid penalties.
Drivers over the limits (5th component on ICE/TC/MGU-H/MGU-K): Lewis Hamilton, Yuki Tsunoda, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Antonelli, Franco Colapinto, and Liam Lawson. Any further changes will result in a minimum 5-place grid drop.
At the maximum limit (4th component): Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon, Isack Hadjar, Nico Hulkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz, and Oliver Bearman. For these drivers, the next replacement will mean a 10-place penalty.
Power unit penalties become crucial at Baku
The Azerbaijan street circuit features a two-kilometer-long straight, rewarding engine power but placing significant thermal stress on units. Deciding when to change components is a delicate balance between performance and grid position.
At Baku, DRS offers overtaking opportunities, but getting stuck in a train of cars can compromise the race. Fitting a fresh power unit can provide speed and reliability, but starting from the back
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