Lewis Hamilton starts from the pit lane at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

BAKU, Azerbaijan – Lewis Hamilton will start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the pit lane on Sunday after a new engine was installed in his Mercedes overnight.

Hamilton qualified seventh on the grid, but with his car now over its engine quota for the season and in breach of parc fermé rules (which prohibit component changes between qualifying and the race), he will start from the pit lane.

It was always expected that Hamilton would exceed his engine quota this year after suffering a defect at the Australian Grand Prix.

Before Sunday's race in Baku, Mercedes has equipped its car with a new engine, turbocharger, MGU-H and MGU-K.

For cost reasons, each driver is limited in the number of engine components he may use during the season within the framework of the sporting regulations.

This rule means that a mistake during a race will usually result in a penalty later in the season. Teams often target engine changes in races where overtaking is easier, such as Azerbaijan.

Esteban Ocon will also start the race from the pit lane after a new engine was installed in his Alpine.

Ocon qualified last on the grid, meaning the engine change has very little impact on his likely race outcome.