Hamilton hit with second power-unit penalty in São Paulo

Lewis Hamilton will start the São Paulo Grand Prix from the back of the grid after Ferrari opted to replace his entire power unit following a smoke problem in final practice.

Hamilton had already incurred a 10-place grid penalty after taking a new internal combustion engine before the session at Interlagos. The further changes mean that initial penalty is now overtaken by the requirement to start from the rear, alongside Max Verstappen.

Smoke ends Hamilton’s practice session

Around 35 minutes into FP3, Hamilton reported smoke inside the cockpit and returned to the pits. Smoke was then seen coming from several parts of his car as he arrived at his pit box. He did not return to the track for the remainder of the session.

The initial engine change had put Hamilton on a 10-place penalty for Sunday’s race. His team-mate Charles Leclerc had also received a new internal combustion engine, but Ferrari’s subsequent power-unit decision concerned Hamilton’s car.

The sequence leaves the seven-time champion with a difficult starting position, despite his plan to take part in qualifying. Ferrari confirmed that he would still contest the session, while the full power-unit replacement means he must begin the race from the back of the field.

Ferrari confirms full power-unit replacement

Ferrari said it removed the power unit from car number 44 after FP3 for further checks. Following its analysis, the team decided to replace the complete unit. The decision came after the smoke prompted Hamilton to return to the garage and end his running early.

Hamilton’s penalty compounds the setback from the first engine change: rather than serving only the 10-place drop, he will line up at the rear. Verstappen will also start from the back, according to the information confirmed by Ferrari about Hamilton’s grid position.

For more on Hamilton’s Ferrari campaign, read our coverage of his SF-26 development and Hamilton’s broader Ferrari story.