Lewis Hamilton has been issued a five-place grid penalty for the Bahrain Grand Prix after Mercedes replaced the gearbox on his car.
According to article 23.5a of Formula 1’s sporting regulations, a gearbox must be used in six consecutive races before it is permitted to be changed.
After having only completed the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton’s gearbox change following the first two practice sessions in Bahrain contravenes this regulation.
The team confirmed that the gearbox was damaged beyond repair during the race in Australia as a result of a hydraulic leak.
While team-mate Valtteri Bottas has also taken a new gearbox for this weekend, he avoids a penalty as the unit used in the race at Australia was a spare component fitted as a compromise following his crash during the Q3 segment of qualifying.
Hamilton’s penalty now means that he will start Sunday’s race from a grid position no higher than sixth.
The reigning champion finished fourth in the second practice session on Friday in Bahrain, trailing pace-setter Kimi Raikkonen by 0.655 seconds.
While Hamilton’s lap was slightly compromised by traffic, Bottas only managed third in the sister Mercedes suggesting that the team is adrift of Ferrari’s pace early in the weekend.
“It wasn’t our best day from a performance point of view,” Mercedes’ technical director James Allison admitted.
“We’ve got more to do overnight and in the session tomorrow to give us a car that will allow us to have a good fight in qualifying and on Sunday.”
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