Lewis Hamilton has been handed a 5-place grid drop for the Bahrain Grand Prix after his team elected to change his gearbox.

Mercedes say that a hydraulic leak was the cause of the change. They had attempted to repair the leak ahead of this weekend but could not get the repair done in time and had no choice to take a new gearbox.

Even if Hamilton qualifies on pole, he will start the race from P6 on the grid. This will add a little more difficulty to his afternoon since the race pace of Ferrari and Red Bull are so similar.

We had a hydraulic leak during the #AusGP and were fortunate to finish the race

Unfortunately the Team couldn’t repair the gearbox within the six race cycle so need to take a fresh one, incurring the grid penalty. #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/DCTNr9D9TW

— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) April 6, 2018

No I’m definitely not where I [need to be],” Hamilton said.

“I mean, we’ve got things to improve on.

“What it’s just shown is that it’s incredibly close between the three teams, like really close. I think it will be a tough weekend.”

Photo credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team