Mercedes have confirmed that Lewis Hamilton will take a grid penalty at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, though the team hasn't confirmed whether they will opt for a single or double hit.
The Briton has been forced into taking the penalty following a spate of reliability failures during the early races, which now sees him on his fifth and final turbo and MGU-H. Taking a sixth of any component incurs a 10-place grid penalty, therefore changing more than one component will see him drop further back.
Although Mercedes confirmed the plan was to take a grid drop, the team haven't specified how many places it will be, as they're yet to confirm how many components they will change.
It's likely to be 20 places or more, therefore starting at the very back is likely.
The championship leader previously suggested they may take a double-drop to build up a pool of components, which would see Mercedes change Hamilton's engine on Friday for a new unit, before replacing it again on Saturday.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Hamilton said a win this weekend would be "very, very hard" considering the speed of his rivals and his starting position, adding that "minimising the impact" of the penalty is his aim.
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