Hamilton could start behind Turkish Grand Prix due to engine change

Mercedes plans to supply Lewis Hamilton with a new engine for the upcoming Turkish Grand Prix. As this would be his fourth bike of the season, the result is that he has to start at the end of the race.

“It’s a possibility,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. Air sports. “But exactly how and when, we haven’t made a decision yet.”

Max Verstappen drove his fourth engine of the season in the previous race in Russia and had to start from last place because of this change. After catching up, he finished second behind Hamilton, who took the lead in the World Cup standings and is now two points ahead.

“The most important thing is the reliability of the engine, because we can’t afford failure at this point in the championship,” Wolff said of an engine change from Hamilton.

“That’s why we take a very close look at the performance of the engine in every race. We can live with a second or a third place because the championship is still long. But not reaching the finish is much worse.”

“I am very curious to know how the fight for the title is going”

Hamilton won at Istanbul Park last year and claimed his seventh world title in the penultimate race of the season. This year the battle is much more exciting, Wolff sees it too.

“Lewis has been fantastic in Turkey, but we can’t predict how it will turn out this weekend,” said the team boss. “Mercedes and Red Bull are so close to each other. I’m very curious about how the title fight will go.”

The Turkish Grand Prix starts Sunday at 2 p.m. Next are races in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.