Mercedes fears engine damage for Hamilton: possible grid penalty at Zandvoort

It was a disaster weekend for Lewis Hamilton at Spa. Already in the first lap the Briton had to stop, after his collision with Fernando Alonso. This accident may not make things any better at Zandvoort.

Hamilton's engine may have been damaged in the crash to the extent that parts of it (or perhaps the whole engine) need to be replaced, Mercedes told Autosport.com. Meanwhile the engine is back in England to be examined thoroughly. Mercedes calls Hamilton's engine an absolute point of concern

At Spa, Hamilton got his third engine in the car. With that he is at the maximum of the number of engines he is allowed to use without penalty. Any change of the whole engine or parts of it will result in a grid penalty. So if Mercedes need to make any changes at all, the former champion will have to regress places at Zandvoort. That on a track where it is difficult to overtake.

The gearbox also took a beating during the impact with Alonso. It is already clear that there is something broken in the gearbox, but this does not result in a penalty for Hamilton.