Belgian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton confirms penalty read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/701-belgian-grand-prix-lewis-hamilton-confirms-penalty

Hamilton starts the race with a 19-point advantage in the championship over Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.

Hamilton won six of the last seven races before F1's summer break, to close what had been a 43-point deficit to Rosberg after the German won the first four races, in which the world champion was hit by a string of problems, including the engine failures that have led to his penalty.

He is the only other driver to win more than one race this season and stands just 19 points behind the defending champion in the standings.

Lewis Hamilton says he will try to limit the damage to his title hopes in Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix after confirming he will take a grid penalty.

Rosberg 31, will see this as an opportunity to reverse the momentum in the title race.

Mercedes' statement about the likely extent of the penalty suggests he will be taking two each of a new turbocharger and a new MGU-H, the motor-generator that recovers energy from the rear axle.

That would amount to a total of 30 grid places of penalty, according to the rules, but a driver can drop no further than the back of the grid.

Hamilton has to use more than the permitted number of engine parts after problems early in the season.