BAKU, Sept 15 (Askume) – McLaren’s Formula One title contender Lando Norris lost his start at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday after Mercedes changed the power unit in Lewis Hamilton’s No. 15 car.
Seven times world champion Hamilton qualified seventh, one place behind championship leader Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, but with the power unit pushing its limits, he will now compete with Alpine’s Esteve Van O’Connell, who started together from the pit lane.
FIA technical delegate Joe Power referred the matter to the stewards, saying in a report that Mercedes had also made changes to the set-up of Hamilton’s car.
“Lewis will receive a new power unit ahead of today’s race and will therefore start from the pit lane,” a team spokesman said.
“After losing a power unit in Australia earlier this season, we knew we had to introduce a new power unit for Lewis at some point this season. We decided to do that today.”
Norris finished 17th in qualifying on Saturday after yellow flags interrupted his final lap in the opening stage, but Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was injured due to fuel flow problems and finished 16th after being disqualified for irregularities.
McLaren is second in the drivers’ championship but 62 points behind Verstappen and looks set to limit its damage heading into Sunday’s race.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc started from pole position and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was also on the front row, giving them good overtaking opportunities on this track.
