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McLaren unsure if Vandoorne will take penalty in Singapore

McLaren Formula 1 racing director Eric Boullier is unsure whether or not Stoffel Vandoorne will have to take a grid penalty for next weekend's Singapore Grand Prix following his retirement at Monza last Sunday.

Vandoorne took a 25-place grid penalty for the Italian Grand Prix in a bid to get a fresh power unit for Singapore, only to suffer a loss of power mid-race that forced him to park up.

McLaren is targeting a return to the points in Singapore given the slow-speed nature of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, but Boullier conceded that the team is not yet sure whether Vandoorne will have to start from the back due to a penalty.

"We are not sure yet whether we will have to change the MGU-K unit," Boullier said.

"It is repairable. Even the engine [in qualifying] was repairable. We just didn't have enough time before the race because of parc ferme."

Considering McLaren's chances in Singapore, Boullier is expecting the team to fare well as it did in Hungary, where it scored its only double-points finish of the season.

"Singapore should be both cars in Q3 as the target," Boullier said.

"I think it is the second best circuit for us, behind Budapest."

Zdroj: crash.net