Lewis Hamilton will be starting the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix from the back of the grid because of an enforced engine change.
Mercedes’ reliability has been the best of the four engine manufacturers this season.
The works cars have not yet had a grid penalty this season but this will change on Hamilton’s side at Monza.
It comes as a consequence of Hamilton’s clash with Fernando Alonso on the opening lap of the Belgian Grand Prix that led to a 45G vertical impact with the ground.
After evaluating Hamilton’s engine back at its Brixworth base, Mercedes still hopes it can be salvaged in some way.
But it cannot be used at Monza and the likelihood is that while an older engine could be used at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend, it is too high mileage to be suitable for the demands of such a power-sensitive circuit.
That means Hamilton needs to use a fourth power unit, exceeding his seasonal allocation.
F1 teams are only permitted three engines per season and this will trigger a back-of-the-grid penalty with a full suite of changes likely.
Although its options appeared limited anyway, Mercedes is unlikely to be sacrificing a major result this weekend.
The team hopes to be more competitive than it was at the last power-sensitive track (Spa) but does not expect a repeat of the victory-challenging performance it enjoyed at Zandvoort last week.
“Of course, we don’t know how the car’s gonna be here this weekend, whether or not to be as good as it was in the last race, we’ll find out,” Hamilton said in the Thursday press conference.
“But my third engine that I had brand new in Spa is still being worked on. So I can’t use it right now. So I have to take a fourth.
“And we’re still hopeful we can use that [Spa unit] later on.
“I’ve got to kind of recover the best I can from the back.”
Haas driver Mick Schumacher will also take a grid penalty for a gearbox change and penalties for further drivers are expected to be announced later in the weekend.
