Vettel and Raikkonen take 10-place grid penalties

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.

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“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.