The Finn retired from the last race in Brazil with an engine problem that was triggered as the result of high oil consumption.
With Bottas’s other powerunits at the end of their mileage and unable to get him through the Abu Dhabi race weekend, Mercedes had no choice other than to bring a brand new engine to use for the last race of the season.
It is not clear yet how many places Bottas will drop down the grid as the result of the changes, with Mercedes only likely to commit to which new components it introduces once track action gets under way.

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