Lewis Hamilton breaks silence on FIA penalty as Mercedes star forced to start at back

Lewis Hamilton has stressed he will recover as best he can after being forced to start from the back of the grid in this weekend's Italian Grand Prix. Hamilton will start at the back having entered his fourth power unit of the season, one more than the FIA's annual allocation.

The engine was damaged in a 45G impact with Fernando Alonso at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. However, it is understood that Mercedes is looking for ways to reuse the engine at a later date this season.

Hamilton also confirmed that the team "still had hope" of being able to reuse the power unit despite being out of service this weekend. Speaking at Thursday's press conference, he said: "But yeah, I mean my third engine that I had brand new at Spa is still being worked on so I can't use at the moment, so I have to take a fourth."

"So it's my fault. And we're still hoping we can use it later. But yeah, so I kind of have to recover as best I can at the back. Former Hamilton team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, will also receive a penalty after also adopting a new engine.

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Red Bull are also reportedly considering new parts for Sergio Perez after doing the same for Max Verstappen at Spa. Hamilton secured five podiums in consecutive races before the summer break, but has struggled since.

He crashed out of the Belgian Grand Prix and fell off the podium in the Dutch Grand Prix after a bad strategic decision. Hamilton stayed away from the old mids as those around him stopped for places during a late safety car.

He saw the seven-time champion go from second to fourth in a matter of laps, sparking an angry outburst over the team radio from the Briton.

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But Hamilton admitted the Monza circuit was "ideal for overtaking" as he tries to force his way through the field on Sunday. He explained: "It's great for overtaking and the thrill of driving here, because you have low downforce and you float on the surface of the tyres, is pretty epic.

"So I'm really grateful for the wins I've had. I remember my first race here, in 2007, and overtaking Kimi, and, you know, it's not an easy circuit, and it puts a lot of obstacles in the way."