Hamilton ready for the start in the pit lane of the Azerbaijan GP after engine change

Lewis Hamilton will start the 2024 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the pit lane after Mercedes decided to replace several components of its powertrain under parc fermé conditions.

Hamilton, who was due to start seventh in Baku, now has his fifth engine of the season – one more than the permitted quota – without the approval of the FIA ​​technical department.
Delegate, hence the upcoming start from the pit lane. Mercedes has also replaced the turbocharger and the MGU-H and MGU-K components on its car.

Mercedes had long been anticipating this move, as Hamilton's retirement from the Australian GP earlier in the season due to engine failure meant that from that point on he was at the limit of having to make it through the year without another engine.

The problem with Hamilton's Australian engine was later traced to an unexplained defect in the lower rev range.

Motorsport.com has learned that Mercedes has been assessing which race would be most suitable for the change and grid penalty, given the overtaking challenges at various tracks on the 2024 calendar.

The Baku event – ​​with its long straights and the tire management demands of Sunday's race – led to Mercedes opting to accept the penalty here after Saturday's disappointing qualifying in Azerbaijan.

Hamilton qualified seventh after failing to get his tyres working at the start of his final lap in Q3. Towards the end of his warm-up lap, he was told to slow down because Alex Albon's Williams had become temporarily stuck at the exit of the pit lane with its radiator fan still attached to the airbox.

The delay on his final attempt meant Hamilton's tyres “weren't going to work” – something which, according to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, also affected George Russell in the other W15, as the younger Briton finished just ahead of his team-mate.

Mercedes are confident that Hamilton can reclaim the lead and at least get back close to his starting position, although he will have to chase the faster car of Lando Norris after the McLaren driver suffered a surprise Q1 retirement following an unfortunate yellow flag incident.

Hamilton's engine change comes after his teammate Russell also needed an engine change on Friday. After FP1 in Azerbaijan, Mercedes discovered an anomaly in the oil analysis of Russell's car and took precautionary action.

Hamilton, meanwhile, said after qualifying: “It’s the same thing every Saturday – so it’s not really surprising.

“FP1 and FP2 – the car felt fantastic. I was in a really good mood literally from the first lap. Sometimes on Saturday we wonder if the others in P1 and P2 were stronger.

“Yesterday it felt great and today when we set off I hardly changed anything on the car because I didn't want to mess anything up. And the tires didn't work. They didn't work all day.”

“I think on the last lap, in the last sector, the tires just started working. But we missed that.”

Hamilton will be supported in the pit lane by Alpine driver Esteban Ocon, who had a disastrous weekend in Baku.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Like Hamilton, Ocon also took his fifth combustion engine, turbocharger and MGU-H of the season into the Parc Fermé.

Ocon should have started from the last row after he crashed into the wall in Q1 and thus set the slowest time.

The Frenchman had to miss the first free practice session due to a problem with the hybrid engine and had to stop in the third free practice session due to a problem with the fuel pump. This left him behind in qualifying, having missed the crucial opportunity to run on soft tyres.

Last night, teammate Pierre Gasly was disqualified for exceeding the maximum fuel intake on his final qualifying lap. This means that both Alpines will start from the back of the field.

The sanctions for Hamilton, Ocon and Gasly mean that McLaren title contender Norris moves up from 17th to 14th place on the grid after his own botched qualifying.