Lewis Hamilton’s disconcerting start to the season continued here on Thursday when his preparations for the Chinese Grand Prix were hit by a five-place grid penalty.
Hamilton, a four-times winner in Shanghai, has been penalised because of a gearbox change. The Mercedes team decided on a replacement after an inspection here on Wednesday.
The team could have attempted to make it through another race with the old gearbox, which was damaged during the previous grand prix in Bahrain, but a team spokesman said: “This is the best circuit to [make a change] in the first six-race cycle as overtaking is easier here compared to the coming tracks, so the overall impact of the grid penalty is judged to be less here in Shanghai.”
However, it still represents dire news for the three-times world champion, who has already lost the first two races to his Mercedes team-mate and only serious rival for the world championship this year, Nico Rosberg.
Rosberg’s victories in the opening race in Australia and then in Bahrain mean that the British driver is already 17 points behind. With Hamilton starting the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday in sixth position on the grid at best, Rosberg is favourite to make it six race wins in a row this weekend.
Hamilton said on Thursday on his Instagram account: “Every year, I arrive into Shanghai with the most incredible welcome. This weekend is going to be tough. I will start with a five-place grid penalty due to a gearbox change but because of you guys I feel energised, motivated, and confident that we can regain ground lost. Thank you all for the love and support over the past 10 years, let’s get it #TeamLH!!!”
