Hamilton to start São Paulo GP from back of grid after Ferrari replaces power unit

News Summary

• Ferrari had already fitted Hamilton’s fifth internal combustion engine of the season before final practice, triggering a 10-place grid penalty.
• Hamilton made two trips back to the garage in FP3. Ferrari removed the power unit for checks after the session and decided to replace it in full.
• Hamilton joins Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez at the back of the grid for Sunday’s São Paulo Grand Prix. Qualifying still matters because it determines their order relative to one another.

Lewis Hamilton will start Sunday’s São Paulo Grand Prix from the back of the grid after Ferrari replaced his entire power unit at Interlagos. The team had fitted a fresh engine before final practice on Saturday. Hamilton was back in the garage before the end of the session, first with a vibration and then with smoke in the cockpit.

“Following today’s FP3 session, the power unit fitted to car #44 was removed for further checks. After completing our analysis, we have decided to replace the entire power unit. Lewis Hamilton will take part in qualifying but will have to start tomorrow’s race from the back of the grid,” Ferrari said.

Hamilton made it back out once before smoke ended his session

Hamilton first reported an unusual vibration from the engine and returned to the pits. Ferrari got him back on track, but he came straight in again after reporting smoke in the cockpit. Smoke was also visible at the rear of the car. With about 25 minutes left on the clock, Hamilton’s final practice was over.

Hamilton ended the session 12th, while teammate Charles Leclerc finished fifth. As Max Verstappen went fastest on soft tyres in the closing stages, Hamilton was already in the garage. He had lost the final part of the session, when drivers were preparing for qualifying.

Why Ferrari’s second change sends Hamilton to the back

Ferrari had fitted new internal combustion engines to both cars before FP3. Hamilton and Leclerc each moved onto their fifth engine of the season, one beyond the allocation. That first excess engine cost each Ferrari driver 10 places on Sunday’s grid.

Hamilton’s second change came after Ferrari inspected the car following practice. The team opted to replace the entire power unit and confirmed that he would start from the rear. Ferrari did not identify which component caused the vibration and smoke.

Qualifying will sort out Hamilton, Verstappen and Pérez

Verstappen and Pérez were already facing rear-of-grid starts after exceeding their allocations for multiple power-unit components. Under the regulations, drivers with more than 15 cumulative places in grid penalties line up behind the other classified drivers. Their qualifying results determine the order within that group.

For Hamilton, Saturday’s qualifying session at Interlagos still offers a chance to start ahead of Verstappen and Pérez. If he outqualifies both, he will be first of the three on Sunday’s grid, subject to any further decisions. Leclerc’s 10-place penalty and George Russell’s five-place penalty are applied to their qualifying results.

GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the São Paulo Grand Prix in Formula 1 live from Interlagos.