Hamilton: There is going to be very little I can do

Reigning F1 world champion and current championship leader is wary of the challenges he faces starting from the back of the grid, believing that his points lead faces a stern threat at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Speaking after the first day of free practice at Spa-Francorchamps, Hamilton told journalists, "It's so hot and the tyres are not lasting very long, so everyone has to do two or three pit stops or whatever it is."

"There is going to be very little I can do, it's not like I can do a one stop and get through the crowd like the Force Indias and Ferraris have done at some stage.

"It's really hard out there, and unfortunately this is not the best weekend for me to have all the penalties, but it is what it is and I didn't have any engines left. I'll just do the best job I can with it and hope for the best."

Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg is now the favourite to win on Sunday. If this scenario plays out and Hamilton finishes outside the top seven, then the Briton will drop to second in the standings.

As a result of his back-of-the-grid demotion, Hamilton has tackled the weekend in a different manner,"The approach is not the same, because normally you are dialling in the car with more front end to get around the track as fast as possible, as where now we are trying to get round for as long as possible."

"I didn't do any low fuel runs, I only did race fuel running the whole time and it will be the same tomorrow to try to get the most realistic and representative scenario for Sunday."

In a quirky trick of fate, Hamilton will be joined at the back of the grid by McLaren's Fernando Alonso.

"Oh nice!" said Hamilton when told about the situation. "Me and Fernando racing at the back? That could be cool."