SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Formula One stewards sent title contender Lewis Hamilton from first to last in the lineup for Saturday’s Sao Paulo sprint race after his Mercedes car’s rear wing failed a technical inspection.
The 100km sprint determines the starting grid for Sunday’s grand prix in Brazil, with seven times world champion Hamilton already facing a five place drop in that race after an engine change.
Hamilton is 19 points adrift of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the standings with four races remaining and his hopes of a record eighth title are slipping away.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Toby Davis)
