| Belgian Grand Prix |
|---|
| Dates: 26-28 August. Venue: Spa-Francorchamps |
| Race commentary - Sunday, 28 August (build-up on BBC Radio 5 live from 12:55, race starts at 13:00). Live text and radio updates of all practice sessions, qualifying and the race on the BBC Sport website |
Lewis Hamilton says he will try to limit the damage to his title hopes in Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix.
The
defending champion made engine changes to his Mercedes in both practice
sessions at Spa on Friday and has been given a 30-place grid penalty,
which will only apply this weekend.Hamilton has to use more than the permitted number of engine parts after problems early in the season.
"In terms of winning, that's the goal. It will be very hard," said Hamilton.
"The gap has closed with the cars. Red Bull have been very quick in some races, and Ferrari, so it will be harder than last year to climb through the field but I will do everything I can.
"It is about minimising the damage of taking the penalty.
"It is a team sport. It is a growing experience for us and we have learnt a lot from the issues we had and hopefully we won't have them again."
According to the rules, a driver can drop no further than the back of the grid although Hamilton is joined by McLaren's Fernando Alonso and Sauber's Marcus Ericsson in incurring penalties.
Analysis
by Andrew Benson, chief F1 writerHamilton is in this position because he had a series of engine failures in the early races of the season that not only affected his results in those events but also had a knock-on effect.
Drivers are allowed to use only five of each of the six constituent parts of the engine in a season, but Hamilton had consecutive failures of the MGU-H - the motor-generator unit that recovers energy from the turbo - in the races in China and Russia.
That meant he had already used five turbos and MGU-Hs and was always going to need to take new ones in the second part of the season.
Mercedes have chosen to take as many new engine parts as necessary this weekend to put Hamilton in the best possible position for the remainder of the season, because any penalty he incurs beyond 20 places is effectively taken for free.
He had already taken two completely new engines by the end of Friday and is considered likely to fit another for final practice on Friday morning, although Mercedes have not yet confirmed that.
'It makes my weekend less difficult'
Hamilton won six of the last seven races before F1's summer break, to close what had been a 43-point deficit to Rosberg after the German won the first four races, in which the world champion was hit by a string of problems, including the engine failures that have led to his penalty.Rosberg, 31, will see this as an opportunity to reverse the momentum in the title race.
He is the only other driver to win more than one race this season and stands just 19 points behind the defending champion in the standings.
The German said: "It doesn't change the pressure I put myself under because I would love to have a great weekend and win.
"It will make the weekend less difficult for me but it is still a challenge because four weeks ago (at the last race) I finished behind two Red Bulls.
"And I have to reckon with Lewis because there is no reason with a safety car or something why he can't be right in the reckoning."
Collected