Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will both start Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix from the back of the grid after being hit with engine-related penalties, while Charles Leclerc and George Russell have also dropped places following power-unit changes.
Hamilton's situation worsened over the weekend. The Ferrari driver initially faced a 10-place penalty for going beyond his season's power-unit allocation, but after the new internal combustion engine fitted on Saturday morning failed during final practice, Ferrari opted to fit a complete new power-unit instead. That decision pushed him to the very back of the grid.
Verstappen faces the same fate after Red Bull uncovered issues with his engine following Friday's practice sessions, prompting the team to install an entirely new unit.
Leclerc and Russell, meanwhile, both had new internal combustion engines fitted, resulting in smaller but still significant penalties — 10 places for Leclerc and five for Russell. Leclerc's heavier penalty reflects the fact that it is the first time Ferrari have breached the four-engine-per-season limit on his car, whereas Russell's team had already exceeded that threshold previously.
The shake-up has dramatically altered Sunday's starting order. Russell, who had qualified second on Saturday, now slides back to seventh, while Leclerc, originally fourth, will start 14th. The penalties have benefited Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson and Audi's Nico Hulkenberg, who qualified fifth and sixth respectively and now find themselves promoted to the second row, in third and fourth place.
Remarkably, the four penalised drivers are separated by just 16 points in the championship standings as they battle for second place behind Kimi Antonelli. Verstappen, however, has history on his side at this circuit — he famously won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix from 17th on the grid in a previous wet-weather race after serving an engine penalty.
Conditions could again play a major role this weekend. Qualifying was held in wet weather after rain arrived roughly an hour before the session began, and forecasters expect further rain overnight and at various points throughout race day.
Separately, Formula 1 confirmed on Saturday that Interlagos has extended its contract to host the Sao Paulo Grand Prix through 2035. F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said Brazil remains "an important part of F1's history and our future," praising the "extraordinary" passion of Brazilian fans and describing the five-year extension as a reflection of the sport's "long-term commitment to Brazil."
Source: BBC
Our last article on this: Ferrari Lets Owners Ditch Touch Controls for Real Buttons
