Hamilton set for further grid penalty in Sao Paulo

Lewis Hamilton is set to start the Sao Paulo Grand Prix from the back of the grid as the Ferrari driver is prepared to take a further penalty. The seven-time World Champion was set to receive a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday's race at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace along with team mate Charles Leclerc , as both drivers had a change of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) on their cars.

But during Free Practice 3 on Saturday, Hamilton reported vibrations on his engine and returned to the pit lane for checks. Rejoining the circuit in the final hour of practice, Hamilton immediately suffered a loss of power followed by smoke in the cockpit, eventually returning to the garage and ending his session as Ferrari investigated.

Ahead of Qualifying later on Saturday, Ferrari confirmed that Hamilton would take part in the session but that the entire power unit had been replaced. "Following today’s FP3 session, the power unit fitted to car #44 was removed for further checks," read a team statement. "After completing our analysis, we have decided to replace the entire power unit.

Lewis will take part in Qualifying but will have to start tomorrow’s race from the back of the grid." It means Hamilton will start at the back, where he will be joined by Max Verstappen as the Red Bull driver also had various elements of his power unit changed ahead of FP3.