Sports
Hamilton & Verstappen to start from back in Brazil
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Published 11/7/2026 11:24:15 AM
Sao Paulo Grand Prix: Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to have grid penalties
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen will start from the back of the grid at Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Hamilton's team-mate Charles Leclerc and Mercedes' George Russell will also have grid penalties, 10 places for Leclerc and five for Russell.
Hamilton initially had only a 10-place penalty for exceeding his power-unit allowance for the season, but the new internal combustion engine that was fitted on Saturday morning failed in final practice.
That meant Ferrari decided to fit an entire new power-unit to his car, hence the bigger penalty.
Verstappen had an all-new engine fitted after Red Bull discovered problems after Friday practice.
Leclerc and Russell have both fitted new internal combustion engines.
The penalty for Leclerc is bigger than Russell's because it is the first time Ferrari have exceeded the limit of four engines per season on his car, while Russell had already gone beyond that.
The four drivers are separated by just 16 points in the drivers' championship, in the battle to finish second behind Kimi Antonelli.
Verstappen famously won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix from 17th on the grid after an engine penalty in a wet race.
