Lewis Hamilton's chances of victory in the Chinese Grand Prix have already taken a blow with the news he will take a five-place gearbox penalty.
The defending world champion sustained damage to his gearbox during the Bahrain Grand Prix, with Mercedes deciding it would need replacing ahead of this weekend's race. The team believes Shanghai represents the best overtaking opportunities of the current six-race cycle, therefore lessening the impact of the penalty.
As a result, even if Hamilton takes pole position during qualifying on Saturday he will start from no higher than sixth place on the grid.
Hamilton has won on four occasions in China but is already 17 points behind team-mate Nico Rosberg in the drivers' championship after Rosberg's two victories in Australia and Bahrain.
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