Hamilton to start....as penalties change Azerbaijan GP...

Hamilton to start….as penalties change Azerbaijan GP…read more

Lewis Hamilton is set to start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the pit lane after Mercedes made the decision to equip his car with new power unit components. The team opted to take this penalty after a power unit failure at the Australian Grand Prix left the seven-time world champion short of enough engine parts to complete the season without exceeding the allocated limit.

Mercedes confirmed the news before the race, stating, “Lewis will take a new Power Unit ahead of today’s race and will therefore start from the pitlane. Having lost a Power Unit in Australia earlier this season, we knew we would have to introduce a new Power Unit into the pool for Lewis at some point this season. We’ve opted to do so today.” This means Hamilton will be starting from the pit lane, a challenging position that could make his path to a strong finish much more difficult.

Hamilton’s power unit issues stemmed from the early-season problems in Australia, where a significant failure forced Mercedes into this tough decision. While Hamilton will have fresh engine components, it comes at the cost of having to fight his way through the field from the very back.

Hamilton is not alone in taking a pit lane start for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Esteban Ocon, driving for Alpine, will also start from the pit lane after his team made a similar decision to replace key power unit components in his car. Alpine, like Mercedes, faced the tough choice of either risking another failure during the race or incurring a penalty by taking new parts for the race in Baku. The team opted for the latter, which relegates Ocon to starting alongside Hamilton from the pit lane.

Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon’s teammate at Alpine, Pierre Gasly, is also facing grid penalties after being excluded from qualifying. Gasly’s car was found to have exceeded the maximum fuel flow rate during the qualifying session, resulting in his disqualification from the session and leaving him 18th on the starting grid. This exclusion compounds an already difficult weekend for Gasly, who has struggled to find pace in his Alpine throughout practice and qualifying.

Gasly’s penalty comes on top of another setback for the French driver. His Alpine was already scheduled to start toward the back of the grid, but his disqualification from qualifying means that he will now line up last on the grid, one spot behind Zhou Guanyu. Zhou, driving for Sauber, also took new power unit elements for the race, which resulted in a penalty that saw him drop to the rear of the grid.

Zhou, like Hamilton and Ocon, had to take new power unit components after encountering issues with his engine earlier in the weekend. The Sauber driver took a third energy store and a third control electronics unit, which triggered an automatic penalty that placed him at the back of the grid. This penalty was known ahead of the qualifying session after Zhou’s team made the decision during Free Practice 3 to change the components.

With several drivers starting from compromised positions, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix grid has been reshuffled, leaving opportunities for mid-field drivers to capitalize on the penalties taken by their rivals. The front row of the grid sees Charles Leclerc in pole position for Ferrari, with Oscar Piastri of McLaren starting alongside him in second place. Carlos Sainz, also driving for Ferrari, will start in third, ahead of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez in fourth.

Further down the grid, George Russell of Mercedes will line up fifth, just ahead of Max Verstappen in sixth, who had an uncharacteristically difficult qualifying session. Fernando Alonso starts seventh for Aston Martin, followed by Franco Colapinto in eighth for Williams. Completing the top ten are Alex Albon in the second Williams and Oliver Bearman in the Haas.

As the race unfolds, all eyes will be on Hamilton and Ocon as they attempt to battle their way through the field from the pit lane, while Zhou and Gasly also face the difficult challenge of trying to make up positions after their respective penalties. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix promises to be a dramatic race with multiple drivers fighting to recover from setbacks, and plenty of action expected throughout the field.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is set to begin at 21:00 AEST.