Hamilton unable to use engine after Zandvoort, grid penalty inevitable

F1 News

10 September 2021 at 13:20
Last update 10 September 2021 at 14:39
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  • GPblog.com

Lewis Hamilton can no longer use his Mercedes engine after it broke down during the free practice at Zandvoort. Because of this, he will have to accept a grid penalty sometime this season, just like Max Verstappen.

This will allow for the bizarre scenario of both title rivals starting from the last row, possibly as early as Monza. The teams will keep a close eye on each other to see what the other does. Hamilton's situation looks a bit rosier than Verstappen's, though: Hamilton was driving with the oldest engine in his pool, while Verstappen's was just new.

Hamilton and Verstappen both have two engines left

For both drivers, however, they only have two engines left, and the big question is when they will decide to switch to a new one. In the first place, the teams will want to wait for the qualifying. If something goes wrong there, they will decide to change to a new engine anyway.