Debate | Mercedes will now regret Hamilton's grid penalty

During the first free practice session it was revealed that Lewis Hamilton had changed his internal combustion engine. The Mercedes driver has been given a ten-place grid penalty, but is this the right time to do it? Red Bull Racing seem to be struggling after the first day in Turkey.

Good or bad choice?

As things stand Hamilton could easily have claimed victory in Turkey with Valtteri Bottas by his side. With the seven-time world champion having to start from outside the top-ten, the task becomes a lot harder and there is a good chance Verstappen will regain the lead in the World Championship. 

Hamilton could have easily driven to victory in Turkey with the current state of affairs; the speed difference is so big between Mercedes and Red Bull: in both the short and long runs. Bottas could have joined as a 'wingman' in second place, making a P3 for Verstappen the maximum then. Hamilton would then have been about ten points ahead.

Now Verstappen seems set (if nothing untoward happens) to score more points than his rival, but it is also possible that Mercedes have been smart to make the change now. According to Hamilton, the overtaking at Istanbul Park is relatively good and with the dominant Mercedes he can still get to the podium relatively easily. Then it's mainly about damage limitation, exactly like Verstappen did in Russia.

It's all still a bit of a mystery, but what do you think of the statement: 'Mercedes will now probably regret Hamilton's grid penalty'. Let us know in the poll and join the discussion in the comments.