Hamilton to get new gearbox for Saturday

Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren will receive a new gearbox prior to Saturday morning’s third practice session for the Indian Grand Prix. The 2008 Champion started Friday in good shape, topping first practice, but then received a three-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race for setting his fastest lap time under double waved yellow flags.

Hamilton will not receive a further five-place grid drop for the gearbox change, as the swap is taking place before qualifying begins.

“We looked quick this morning," he began. “This afternoon, however, I had a problem with the driveshaft – it felt like it was causing some wear and tear, so it prompted me to end the session a little early. We’ll fit a new gearbox for tomorrow, so the car will hopefully start behaving a bit better.

“Sunday’s race will be a long one. Nevertheless, there will be opportunities to overtake; it’s a high-downforce circuit and, although it’ll be very hard to follow other cars closely, the double DRS zone should make it a bit easier. We’ll get a clearer idea tomorrow of just how quick we really are."

Hamilton ended second practice in fourth place, two positions and just under three tenths of a second quicker than team-mate Jenson Button.

“I really like this circuit, it’s great fun to drive," added the title winner of 2009. “There are some tough corners, like Turns 3 and 5, but there’s also a lot of high-speed stuff and it feels a lot faster than we initially thought it would. What’s also been quite a surprise is the amount of grip out there, particularly in the faster corners where the downforce is really working for you."