Lewis Hamilton must start from back of the grid

Lewis Hamilton will start the Belgian Grand Prix from the very back of the grid after serving a mammoth 30-place grid penalty following further changes to his engine yesterday.

The reigning world champion, who leads his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg by 19 points in this year’s title race, was already staring at a grid drop after his team confirmed he had taken on a number of new engine components in opening practice, thus exceeding the allocation he is allowed.

And under the sport’s complicated engine rules, his penalty could yet rise to as high as 75 places should Mercedes opt to fit further new parts to his engine - in order to ensure he does not incur any further penalties in the remaining races - before qualifying today.