Lewis Hamilton to drop down grid at Italian Grand Prix after Mercedes take engine penalty
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 08/09/2022 at 14:34 GMT
Lewis Hamilton could start from the back of the grid at the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday after taking a penalty for replacing a Power Unit. The Mercedes driver came fourth at the Dutch GP last weekend and is still looking for his first win of the season, but he will be up against it in Monza. Max Verstappen is the runaway leader in the Driver's Championship, with Hamilton down in sixth.
Hamilton on letting Dutch GP ‘slip through his fingers’ as Verstappen gets home win
Lewis Hamilton will be handed a grid penalty for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Sunday after taking a new Power Unit for his Mercedes.
The seven-time world champion will have a fourth engine of the season fitted in Italy, one more than permitted in Formula One rules.
Hamilton’s punishment will be to take a grid penalty, which Sky Sports News say will mean starting from the back of the grid, although that is yet to be confirmed.
His third Power Unit was damaged in a collision with Fernando Alonso at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Mercedes engineers are still working on recovering that engine and its related components, but won’t be able to use it this weekend.
Hamilton is still looking for his first win of a difficult season for constructor’s champions Mercedes.
He was left fuming in the Netherlands last weekend when he felt a late strategy call compromised any chances of victory.
The 37-year-old finished fourth as defending champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull sealed his 10th victory of the season on home soil to further extend his lead at the top of the Driver’s Championship.
Mercedes driver George Russell was second, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounding off the podium.
Hamilton, who earned a place on the podium in three consecutive races before the summer break, is currently sixth in the standings.
He might not be the only driver to take a grid penalty in Italy, as Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas has already had an engine penalty confirmed, while Ferrari and Red Bull are said to be considering taking one too, the latter for Sergio Perez.
Monza is the final European race on the calendar, before the F1 season moves to Singapore, Japan, the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen currently holds a 109-point lead over nearest challengers Leclerc and Perez at the top of the Driver’s Championship.
Russell is fourth with 188 points, ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz (175 points) and Hamilton (158).
Red Bull are dominating the Constructor’s Championship with 511 points, but there is a fierce fight for second between Ferrari (376) and Mercedes (346).
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement