Lewis Hamilton is set for a busy afternoon in Baku following Mercedes’ decision to assign a new engine to the Briton’s pool of hardware, a move that will see the latter launch his Azerbaijan GP from the pitlane.
Hamilton – who was set to start from P7 on the grid – will join Alpine’s Esteban Ocon who also received fresh power elements for this afternoon’s race.
The seven-time world champion is taking on his fifth ICE of the season, one more than the permitted allocation, while Mercedes has also opted to swap the turbocharger, MGU-H and MGU-K elements on Hamilton’s PU.
The strategic change follows Mercedes’ decision to swap the engine in George Russell’s car after Friday’s opening practice as a precautionary measure following a suspicious oil analysis.
Ocon's weekend has been particularly challenging. The Frenchman encountered an MGU-H issue in the first practice session, limiting his track time to just three installation laps. This forced Alpine to change the power unit from their pool of available engines.
Further problems arose in FP3 when Ocon's car stopped on track due to a high-pressure fuel pump failure. The team had to replace the components, leading to a significant loss of track time.
Considering the ongoing issues, Alpine has decided to introduce a new power unit to Ocon's car as well.
Starting from the pit lane may offer both Hamilton and Ocon a chance to avoid early-race chaos, but it also means they will need to work tirelessly to move up the order and secure some points.
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