Hamilton engine penalty may now offer advantage - Wolff

As he raced to the podium on Sunday after starting on the last row, Lewis Hamilton not only defied most people's prospects but he now has a clear path to the end of the season with regard to engine allocation.

At Spa, Mercedes voluntarily breached the number of engines a driver can use during a single season, with Hamilton taking a cumulated 55 grid-position penalty in order to maximise his power unit availability for the rest of the year.

Mercedes chose the scheme rather than running the risk of Hamilton suffering multiple demotions in the remaining races. The Brit now has three new power units at his disposable.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits the outfit's plot worked out better than expected for Hamilton and provide an advantage over team mate Nico Rosberg in their battle for the world title.

"I think what looked to be a disadvantage in taking the grid penalty turned out to be much less detrimental to his campaign than expected," Wolff said after Sunday's race.

"He added his bit with a great drive, the team with the right strategy calls and with a good car."

DRIVER RATINGS: Belgian Grand Prix

Wolff also insisted on the massive workload the successive changes imposed on the German team.

"You must imagine we did five engine changes over the weekend and I see the tremendous job these guys are doing in the garage working 24/7 and the mechanics were faultless.

"We had no incidents whatsoever on the engines and giving Lewis now an additional engine in the pocket compared to Nico is good and is right because he had the penalty to take today."

Regardless of Hamilton's power unit availability advantage, Wolff believes the battle between the two Mercedes drivers will likely go down to the wire.

"Coming back to the next races, I don’t know. You might have it bouncing in both directions. I have the feeling it is going to go long into the season before we might see who is going to win it."

RACE REPORT: Rosberg wins at Spa as Hamilton recovers to third

Breakfast with ... Otmar Szafnauer

Silbermann says ... Spa too hot

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.