How looming grid penalties could hand Oscar Piastri the F1 drivers' championship

At the business end of the season, even the best-laid plans can come unstuck.

As the Formula 1 title race enters its final four rounds, the risk of engine penalties looms for the contenders with McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, alongside Red Bull's Max Verstappen, all in the crosshairs.

Exceeding their power unit allocation would immediately throw a spanner in the works, resulting in crippling grid penalties for the drivers.

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At the start of each season, the FIA sets a strict allocation for each power unit component.

Cross that crucial limit, and a grid penalty is incurred.

For the 2025 season, each driver is permitted an allocation of four each of the internal combustion engine, motor generator unit-heat, motor generator unit-kinetic and turbocharger.

However, the limits are even tighter for electrical components, with only two allowed for both the energy store and control electronics, while the exhaust system has a slightly more generous allocation of eight units.

The parts form a strategic pool that teams can access to meet reliability requirements or according to a pre-planned schedule, which takes into account lifestyle.

For instance, teams often save fresh, high-mileage elements specifically for power-hungry events like the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa and the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.

Where drivers run into trouble is when a crash or reliability issue strikes.

Should a failure occur, it can instantly wipe out one or more elements, severely reducing the available pool of components. This can prove costly in the latter stages of the season.

Exceeding the component allocation for the first time automatically triggers a 10-place grid penalty, followed by a five-place sanction for every further offence.

These penalties are cumulative. If a driver hits 15 grid places worth of cumulative sanctions in a single race weekend, they are automatically relegated to the back of the grid.

Already this season, a host of drivers — including Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Yuki Tsunoda — have served penalties.

But as the stakes soar, the real danger is that one of the three title contenders could be next, with Norris arguably facing the greatest cause for concern.

For McLaren teammate Piastri, a rival's penalty could prove to be a massive gift in his championship tilt.

Norris' retirement from August's Dutch Grand Prix was a double blow.

Not only did he take a hit in the championship standings, but an oil line failure raised serious doubts over his remaining power unit pool — potentially placing him at greater risk of a future breach.

Meanwhile, Verstappen has been getting through his exhaust allocation at a higher rate than his McLaren rivals.

High exhaust usage often suggests a team is running aggressive, high-performance engine modes that sacrifice component lifespan for speed.

With the exhaust quota capped at eight units for the season, Verstappen is now perilously close to the limit.

He has already reached seven, with four grands prix and a sprint race still to come.

In stark contrast, both Piastri and Norris have only utilised three units, meaning they are in a far more comfortable position at the pointy end.

Following the Mexican Grand Prix, Norris snatched the championship lead and now holds a one-point advantage over Piastri. Verstappen also sits 36 points adrift of the Brit.