Just 17 Cars on Sprint Race Grid as Trio Choose to Start from Pit Lane

British Grand Prix: Sprint Qualifying

Only 17 cars will take to the grid for the sprint race at the British Grand Prix after three drivers opted to start from the pit lane.

The three drivers are Carlos Sainz of Ferrari, Esteban Ocon of Alpine, and Fernando Alonso of Alpine.

Sainz and Ocon both received grid penalties for exceeding their allocation of power unit components.

Alonso penalized for causing a collision with George Russell at the last race in Austria.

The Spaniard will drop three places on the grid for the main race on Sunday.

Sainz's penalty promotes Sergio Perez to third on the grid, while Ocon's penalty moves Kevin Magnussen up to ninth.

Alonso's penalty has no impact on the starting order for the sprint race.

The sprint race will be held over 17 laps and will determine the starting order for the main race.

The winner of the sprint race will start on pole position for the main race, with the second-place finisher starting second, and so on.

The sprint race could have a significant impact on the championship standings.

Max Verstappen currently leads the standings by 34 points, but a good result in the sprint race could help his rivals close the gap.