Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton is set to drop five places on the grid from wherever he qualifies at the Bahrain Grand Prix due to an unscheduled gearbox change.
Under Formula 1 regulations, drivers must use the same gearbox for six consecutive events, unless they retire from the preceding race.
On Friday evening, it was confirmed in the FIA’s Technical Report that Mercedes has opted to change the gearbox in Hamilton’s W09.
Mercedes later confirmed a hydraulic leak at the season-opener led to the change this weekend.
"We had a hydraulic leak in Melbourne race and were fortunate to finish the race. Unfortunately we couldn't repair the box within the six race cycle so need to take a fresh one, incurring the grid penalty."
Hamilton’s penalty will be confirmed when stewards reconvene at Sakhir on Saturday morning.
It is the second successive event at which Mercedes' prospects have been hampered by a gearbox change, after Valtteri Bottas dropped five places as a result of the damage he sustained in his Q3 crash in Australia.
The Finn is also set to have a new gearbox fitted for Saturday, but after serving a penalty at the previous event, he won't face a grid drop in Bahrain.
