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Lewis Hamilton will receive a five-place grid drop for the Bahrain Grand Prix as the Mercedes team has had to change his gearbox prior to qualifying.

Hamilton's car suffered a left-rear tyre failure at the end of final practice, and also incurred suspension damage in the incident.

Mercedes has had to change the car's left rear corner as a result, and the team confirmed to AUTOSPORT that the gearbox would also have to be replaced.

The outfit would not confirm the cause of the practice issue.

Hamilton took pole position for the last race in China, but had not been expected to be a front row contender in Bahrain, where Mercedes has so far struggled to match Ferrari, Red Bull and Lotus.

The penalty is the third to be applied for Bahrain qualifying so far, with Mark Webber and Esteban Gutierrez already facing three and five place demotions respectively for causing accidents in China.