Lewis Hamilton may start Belgian GP from the back of the grid

Mercedes may opt to start Lewis Hamilton from the back of the grid for the Belgian GP in August.

The speculation comes from Germany’s Auto, Motor und Sport, which expects that Hamilton will use his sixth and seventh engines at Spa.

Hamilton ran into an abundance of engine problems at the start of the season, and has came to accept the fact that he will not be able to finish the season using just five engines.

The problem is that for each engine that is used after the fifth, that driver incurs a 10-place grid penalty.

This obviously does not help Hamilton, as he is battling his Mercedes F1 teammate Nico Rosberg for the championship title and needs to start as close to the front as possible for each race.

But instead of having two or three races in which he is sent back 10-spots on the grid, why not just take one giant penalty for one race and get two new engines for the rest of the season, reasons Mercedes. The Belgian GP usually sees rain and Safety Car periods that mix up strategy anyway, and the track features plenty of overtaking opportunities.

Currently, Hamilton sits just one point back of Rosberg with two rounds between them and the Belgian GP. The F1 field will be in action in Hungary on July 24 and then again one week later in Germany on July 31.