File image of Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton was handed a five-place grid penalty on Friday for this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix after his team decided to give him a new engine.
This is the second time a Mercedes driver has exceeded the limit of three engines for the season.
Seven-time Formula One champion Hamilton beat Red Bull rival Max Verstappen by 19 points in Sunday’s race in Brazil.
Mercedes’ decision to replace the internal combustion engine will not affect Hamilton’s starting position in the qualifying sprint race at Interlagos on Saturday.
Hamilton took a 10-place grid penalty for a new engine in Turkey.
Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas has also faced similar problems, which have raised questions about the reliability of the engine.
The Brazilian GP will be the third event of the season with a qualifying sprint race on Saturday.
Friday’s training session will have the traditional qualifying format to determine the venue for the sprint race, which will determine Sunday’s grid.
The last two sprint races were held at Silverstone and Monza.
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