Hamilton hit with second engine change penalty in Brazil

Lewis Hamilton has taken a new internal combustion engine ahead of the São Paulo Grand Prix and faces a five-place grid penalty.

It is the second new ICE for Hamilton's W12 this season - above the permitted three - so his fifth overall as Mercedes has faced an issue with its power units.

The seven-time F1 champion took a 10-place penalty for a change of ICE ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix, but with this being a second fresh system it means Hamilton will only drop five places for the race.

The change represents a logical step for Mercedes as this weekend Hamilton has the opportunity to make up places given the freshness of his ICE that will prove beneficial, notably up the hill leading into the main straight at Interlagos.

The 36-year-old goes into this weekend's events trailing Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 19 points, knowing he needs to start closing that gap if he is to have any chance of becoming a record-breaking eight-time champion.

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