Both McLarens have already earned 15-place grid penalties for Baku

McLaren drivers Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne are set to start the Azerbaijan GP from the back of the grid after both were hit by yet more Honda power unit penalties.

Penalties are earned as soon as a driver uses the fifth example of any of the six power unit elements.

Both men will take a sixth MGU-H and a sixth turbo this weekend. The first element change triggers 10-places, and the second adds a further five, making for a total of 15 for each driver thus far.

They will also have new internal combustion engines, but these will be the third for Vandoorne and the fourth for Alonso, still within the allocation, so there will be no more penalties associated with that.

“We will start last, the two cars with the penalties,” said Alonso. “We will try to go through the weekend in the best way possible, to perform the best we can, but there are things that are out of our hands.

“It will be like this all season long. Obviously we have these obligations to come here Thursday, Friday, Saturday, half and hour for the media interviews, but I think it will be quite repetitive for you guys. We are fighting for the top 10, try to get some points during the year in normal circumstances.

“But obviously because we used already the maximum engines that we are allowed in the first seven races now we will start last in a couple of races as well, that will make things even more difficult. It’s the way it is, and we can’t do anything else than perform at our best in terms of the driving side and the engineering side, preparing for the race.”