Lewis Hamilton’s chances of securing a third title took a boost on Thursday as Ferrari confirmed both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen would take on new engines for the United States Grand Prix, meaning both will take a 10 place grid penalty.
Hamilton needs to outscore Vettel by just nine points and his own team-mate Nico Rosberg by two to take the title this weekend.
Ferrari had been in two minds about introducing its upgraded engine whilst Vettel remained a championship contender, but believes the additional performance will provide a boost over the final few races.
The news came as no surprise to the German: “We will have the hit of 10 places for a new engine at this event,” confirmed Vettel. “But it has always been the plan, it’s not a big secret and no surprise for us.
“This was always the plan for us to have the strongest engine available at every single point in the season. Our engine guys have done a massive job so this should not be understood as a down side.
“If anything, this is a very positive sign because we’ve been pushing very hard and the guys have managed to make big steps in terms of performance.”
It’s believed the engine not only provides a performance boost in terms of power, but features a slimmer engine block which will allow for aerodynamic gains at the rear of the car.
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