Bottas will be penalized on the Belgian GP grid

Valtteri Bottas will start from the back of the grid for the Belgian GP following changes to all the elements on its Power Unit. Mercedes F1 has brought a new version of its engine block which will also benefit its client teams Racing Force India and Williams. The Finn will be penalized by 15 places (limit exceeded for the ICE, the turbo and the MGU-H), automatically pushing the Finn's Silver Arrow to the last row according to the regulations.

The Mercedes W09 of Lewis Hamilton also received new elements on its Power Unit, but the Championship leader escapes the sanction for the moment with the replacements of the turbo, the ICE (internal combustion engine) and the MGU-H which remain within the authorized limit by the regulation. The four-time world champion, however, will no longer have any room for maneuver on these elements before receiving a sanction.