News Summary
- Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto received a 20-place grid penalty after exceeding the permitted allocation of energy stores and power-unit control electronics.
- Alpine’s Franco Colapinto has a ten-place penalty, while Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad must drop five positions.
- The penalties apply to Sunday’s race grid, with final starting positions determined after qualifying and the application of all applicable sanctions.
Three Formula 1 drivers will receive grid penalties at the 2026 United States Grand Prix after exceeding their permitted power-unit component allocations. FIA stewards confirmed sanctions for Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad ahead of Saturday’s (October 24) qualifying session at Circuit of The Americas.
Bortoleto received the largest penalty, losing 20 positions after Audi introduced a fourth energy store and a fourth power-unit control electronics unit. Each component exceeded the season’s permitted allocation and triggered a ten-place penalty.
Colapinto will lose ten places after Alpine installed a fourth control electronics unit. Lindblad, meanwhile, has a five-place penalty after taking his sixth internal-combustion engine of the season.
The penalties were confirmed in official FIA stewards’ decisions and will be applied to the starting order after qualifying.
Why Audi received the largest penalty in Austin
Audi made six power-unit component changes to Bortoleto’s R26 ahead of the United States Grand Prix weekend.
The replacements included an internal-combustion engine, turbocharger, exhaust system, energy store, control electronics and another power-unit ancillary component.
However, only two of those changes exceeded the permitted allocation.
The new energy store and control electronics were both the fourth units used by Bortoleto in 2026, above the three allowed for each category.
The FIA therefore imposed two ten-place penalties, producing a combined sanction of 20 positions.
The decision places Audi in a difficult position heading into Sunday’s race because the driver is required to start behind competitors who have not incurred equivalent penalties, subject to the final application of the grid regulations.
Bortoleto had enjoyed an encouraging start to the Austin weekend, finishing eighth in FP1 before placing 11th in FP2.
The result was particularly promising compared with teammate Nico Hülkenberg, who finished 18th in both sessions.
Despite that performance, Audi must now approach Sunday’s Grand Prix knowing Bortoleto’s starting position will be severely compromised.
Colapinto and Lindblad also penalised for power-unit changes
Alpine installed a fourth control electronics unit in Colapinto’s car, exceeding the permitted season allocation.
That replacement resulted in a ten-place penalty for the Argentine driver.
Colapinto finished 15th during Friday’s second practice session, completing 32 laps as Alpine continued evaluating its package for the United States Grand Prix.
Lindblad’s situation is slightly different.
The Racing Bulls driver received his sixth internal-combustion engine of the season, having already exceeded the permitted allocation earlier in the championship.
Under the applicable regulations, the first additional component beyond the limit generally results in a ten-place grid penalty, while subsequent additions of the same element result in smaller sanctions.
Lindblad will therefore lose five positions rather than ten.
The British rookie finished 13th during FP2, behind teammate Liam Lawson, who placed sixth.
How do F1 power-unit grid penalties work?
Formula 1 limits the number of power-unit elements each driver may use during a season.
These restrictions cover components including the internal-combustion engine, turbocharger, MGU-K, energy store and control electronics.
When a team installs more than the permitted number of a particular element, the driver receives a grid penalty.
Several component changes can produce cumulative sanctions, meaning a driver may receive more than one penalty during the same race weekend.
The size of the penalty depends on which element has been replaced and whether the driver has already exceeded the permitted allocation.
In cases where the cumulative sanction exceeds 15 positions, the grid regulations require the driver to start behind those without a comparable back-of-grid penalty.
A grid penalty does not change a driver’s lap time or qualifying classification. The final starting order is established after the stewards apply the relevant sanctions.
Austin qualifying will establish final starting positions
The United States Grand Prix qualifying session begins at 16:00 local time in Austin on Saturday, October 24.
For British viewers, that corresponds to 22:00 BST, while qualifying begins at 17:00 EDT in New York.
The three penalised drivers can still participate in qualifying, with the final starting order determined after their penalties are applied.
The race takes place on Sunday, October 25, at 15:00 local time.
Full session times are available in the United States Grand Prix qualifying schedule.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.
