Both Renault-powered teams will likely take penalties at both the Belgian and Italian GP's as the result of an engine upgrade.

 Typically, the two power-hungry venues of Spa and Monza are when the engine suppliers bring their last updates of the year before switching focus to the following year.

But for Renault and McLaren, having had to introduce new elements to combat initial unreliability, the introduction of a 'Spec-C' will come at the price of exceeding the tight limits on the number of components permitted.

“Unfortunately that’s been the plan since Bahrain and even since Melbourne even for Carlos [Sainz], when he had that problem with the MGU-K that caused the whole engine to be lost because of the fire," Renault Sport managing director Cyril Abiteboul explained.

“We know that we are on the back foot and that we are going to have to swallow a few penalties. They will come in sync with a new spec of engine [and] that will be the final spec, the Spec-C.

“I don’t want to confirm when and for whom that will come, but that will mean penalties and also a bit of extra power.”

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With the two teams battling for fourth in the Constructors' standings, matters like taking engine updates come with a little extra caution and it is reported that one driver from each will take the engine across the two weekends to keep it as fair as possible.

“I don’t want to confirm it because it’s not even confirmed with McLaren, and the engines are still being built as we speak," Abiteboul admitted.

“So first we need to make sure that those engines are built properly and signed off properly, but that could be a plan. It’s the normal thing to do.

“And if everything goes to plan, those will be the last penalties of the season.”