Hamilton confirmed to take grid penalty after engine change

Lewis Hamilton will serve a five-grid place penalty at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after taking on a new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), it has been confirmed.

There had been speculation in recent weeks about if and when the team might decide to give Hamilton a new ICE, with teammate Valtteri Bottas having incurred a string of grid penalties at several Grands Prix due to engine changes.

The FIA confirmed at the start of the first practice session in Brazil that Hamilton has taken on a fifth ICE of the season, when only three are permitted. As he already served a 10-place penalty at the Turkish Grand Prix for a fresh ICE beyond that allowance, this unit triggers a milder five-place penalty.

Hamilton will therefore start Sunday's Grand Prix from a grid slot five positions lower than where he finishes in Saturday's Sprint Qualifying race.

For Hamilton, the penalty could potentially have a significant effect on the title battle, with Max Verstappen currently leading the Mercedes man in the standings by 19 points.