F1 News

Why Mercedes F1 had to change Lewis Hamilton's engine

This is how Hamilton reacted to his pit lane start in Baku

15 September at 10:08
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  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

Lewis Hamilton will have to start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the pitlane after Mercedes decided to change his engine overnight. Mercedes have explained to GPblog that an earlier incident in the season forced the change to happen at some point in the coming weeks.

Why Hamilton has a new engine in Baku

It's bad news for Hamilton. He has lost his seventh place on the grid in Baku and will have to start from the pit lane. However, he was last in the pack of the front runners (aside from McLaren's Lando Norris, who starts towards the back).

Mercedes confirmed to GPblog that Mercedes had always planned to introduce a new Power Unit into the pool for Hamilton at somepoint this season due to losing a Power Unit in Australia. The Australian Grand Prix was the third round in the 2024 Formula 1 season, and Hamilton retired after just 15 laps. F1 drivers are only allowed three across the 2024 Formula 1 season, so taking a fourth results in a penalty.

Hamilton himself wasn't overly downbeat as he believes Baku is the best circuit to take the inevitable penalty. "It's okay, I think it's probably the best circuit to do so. We're quick on the straights, so it'll be an interesting afternoon. Not going to be easy, but I'll do my best. We've been able to make some changes to the car. There was a couple of things that weren't right on the car for qualifying or generally yesterday. So I'm hoping that the car is in a better place today," Hamilton said during the drivers parade.