Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne has received a 10-place penalty for Sunday F1 race after he lost a wheel during the second free practice session in Spain.

Towards the end of the second session of free practice, Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne lost a wheel in a turn. German driver Nico Rosberg was behind him but was able to avoid the wheel without any problem.

 

As a result the driver has received a 10-place grid penalty for the Grand Prix tomorrow. His team, Toro Rosso, also received a €30,000 fine for letting their driver go on track in an unsafe condition.

 

This penalty was introduced last year after a wheel cut loose from Mark Webber’s car and hit a FOM cameraman in the pit lane. Before, teams were the only one to be penalized if they failed to secure all 4 wheels. They used to receive fines but the FIA decided to become stricter on the penalties to ensure everyone’s safety.