F1: Ricciardo to run upgraded Renault

Daniel Ricciardo will take a 10-place grid penalty for this weekend's Brazilian GP as Red Bull has decided to fit Renault's upgraded Formula 1 power unit.

Renault used 11 of its 12 engine development tokens on its latest upgrade and though it brought two units to Circuit of The Americas, the new specification has not yet been raced. Renault's head of trackside operations Remi Taffin said at Austin the upgrade was worth "around two tenths" of a second but it required more work before its introduction. Red Bull had to weigh up whether it was worth taking the new unit as both Ricciardo and teammate Daniil Kvyat would incur penalties having already used up their engine allocation for 2015.

It is understood the engine will be used from first practice onward, while a decision as to whether to fit the new unit to Kvyat's car is expected to be taken on Saturday. Renault is said to be keen to run the engine on-track as the data will be crucial for the French manufacturer's 2016 preparations. The upgrades are focused on the internal combustion engine (ICE), with some tweaks to the turbo.

Renault's other customer Toro Rosso previously decided not to run the latest spec for the remainder of the current season as it is expected to return to Ferrari power next term, using a 2015-spec unit.

Originally on Autosport.com