Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari engine change at F1 Spanish Grand Prix - Ted Kravitz

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari engine change at F1 Spanish Grand Prix - Ted Kravitz

Hamilton is back on level terms with Leclerc

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Sunday 13 September 2026 11:30 Updated: 12:10

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Ferrari superstar Lewis Hamilton has made an engine change at the F1 Spanish Grand Prix, according to Sky Sports pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz.

According to Kravitz, Hamilton has ditched the Scuderia's new and upgraded ADUO2 power unit for the weekend to go back to the previous spec at the Madring.

Hamilton and Maranello team-mate Charles Leclerc had both used the ADUO2 spec for the first time in last Sunday's Italian Grand Prix, with Leclerc crashing out early and Hamilton finishing P6.

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It was revealed ahead of the weekend in Spain that Leclerc would revert to the previous spec engine, but would avoid a grid penalty by returning the new version to his allotted pool.

At that stage Hamilton was still planning to go through the Madring race weekend with the new unit - leaving Leclerc with a power deficit to his team-mate - but that all changed after Friday according to Kravitz.

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Kravitz reveals Hamilton engine change

Speaking on his Qualifying Notebook show on Sky Sports F1, he said: "Lewis has given the new power unit with the ADUO {the Additional Development Upgrade Opportunities] that he ran in Monza, Lewis has returned that to the pool to save the mileage on it and is running the same power unit for the rest of the weekend as Charles Leclerc.

"So there is no longer after Friday, from today onwards there is no longer a power deficit between Leclerc and Hamilton. Which is good for Charles Leclerc.

"Not a massive power-sensitive track so they can give the new engines a bit of a rest around here."

Kravitz says Hamilton has made an engine change.

Why no grid penalty for Hamilton engine change?

You may be asking why no grid penalty for Hamilton for making the engine change, but there is one key factor to remember here.

Each driver has a pool of engines and an allotted allowance of power unit components. Once they go above and outside that number, penalties are incoming.

Hamilton, just like Leclerc earlier in the week, has merely swapped one engine back into his allotted pool, and swapped one out. He remains within his allotted allowance, with both engines still available for use.

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F1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Spanish Grand Prix Madring