China: Five-place grid penalty for Lewis Hamilton
The weekend is already off to a bad start for Lewis Hamilton, who will suffer a five-place grid penalty due to a gearbox change.
The collision between Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton at the first corner of the Bahrain Grand Prix has had significant consequences. While it prevented the British driver from fighting for the victory, it also impacts his Chinese race since the car suffered in the mishap, as the team revealed: « *The gearbox on Lewis Hamilton’s F1 W07 Hybrid suffered in Bahrain, requiring a physical inspection for a full assessment. Having done that, the decision was made to change the gearbox rather than take risks for the future. Of the next four tracks in the normal cycle, Shanghai is the best place to make this change and endure the grid penalty.* »
The logic followed by the team is that the Chinese circuit has long straights, which therefore favor top speed and overtaking. The reigning world champion knows he will face a third consecutive race in the pack. Nico Rosberg can therefore confidently anticipate the third round of the championship since he will not be under the immediate threat of his main rival.
To clarify, it’ll be a five place grid penalty for [@LewisHamilton](https://twitter.com/LewisHamilton). If there’s anyone who can fight back, though, it’s [#LH44](https://twitter.com/hashtag/LH44?src=hash)! 💪🔧⏱ [#F1](https://twitter.com/hashtag/F1?src=hash) — MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) [14 April 2016](https://twitter.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/720413443128442880)
