F1 briefing: Daniel Ricciardo set for grid penalties at the Canadian GP

Could Vietnam host a street race and is
Raikkonen planning a return to rallying?

One-Minute Read

The Australian won the Monaco GP on 27 May but had to drive for
a lot of the race without the use of MGU-K – the power unit
component which “recovers energy under braking and redeploys it to
the power train”, F1.com reports. 

Because the part will need replacing “out of schedule”,
under F1 rules Ricciardo will have to “incur an automatic grid
drop”.

According to Sky Sports because Ricciardo has “already used
a significant chunk of his allowance for engine parts” the
penalties in Canada will depend on “just how many components will
require changing”. 

Red Bull’s Adrian Newey confirmed to Sky Sports that Ricciardo
will be taking penalties in Canada. Newey also told Reuters: “He will definitely be taking some
penalties in Montreal, we haven’t heard at the moment just how
many. One of the things 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.

“The [MGU-K] is definitely a penalty. I rather doubt it
[can be reused], considering it caught fire and was a burnt out,
charred wreck. I would be somewhat surprised at that
one.”

Ricciardo is currently third in the F1 drivers’ standings on 72 points. Reigning
world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes leads on 110 points ahead
of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel on 96.

Will Vietnam host a street race?

Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, is a possible contender to
host a new Formula 1 street race, Autoweek reports.

Speaking at the FIA’s Sport Conference in the Philippines,
F1 CEO Chase Carey said: “Vietnam is a very exciting country. A
country that’s caught the world’s imagination and, in many ways,
that’s where we want to be.

“I think we’re excited about the opportunity to grow in
Asia – we’re excited about the opportunities that we’re discussing
in Vietnam, certainly.”

Toyota deny Raikkonen rally rumours

There’s rumours that Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen could
make a return to the World Rally Championship (WRC) with Toyota in
2019 – but the team have denied any talks taking place.

The Finnish driver, whose Ferrari contract expires at
the end of the season, previously competed in the WRC from 2009 to
2011 and has admitted that he would be interested in a return to
rallying in some capacity.

Despite the rumours, Toyota sporting director Kaj Lindstrom told
Motorsport Week: “This is the first I’ve heard of it.
Clearly if anything like this was going to happen I would have been
the first to hear about it. For me, this is pure speculation.”