Summary
- Colapinto receives an additional ten-place penalty for exceeding his engine allocation.
- His combined Sepang grid penalty is now 15 places, including the sanction from Baku.
- His final starting position will depend on qualifying and the other penalties applied.
Franco Colapinto faces a 15-place grid penalty for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia after Alpine fitted his car with a new Mercedes internal combustion engine. The change adds ten positions to the five-place punishment he already carried into the Formula 1 weekend at Sepang.
The Argentine has now used five internal combustion engines this season, exceeding the permitted allocation of four. The stewards confirmed the additional ten-place drop on Friday, 2 October, following a report from the FIA technical delegate.
Combined with the penalty imposed after his Azerbaijan Grand Prix collision, the decision significantly increases the difficulty of Colapinto’s attempt to recover points for Alpine. His exact starting position will be determined after qualifying and the application of all grid penalties.
Why Colapinto’s penalty has increased to 15 places
Colapinto arrived in Malaysia knowing he would lose five grid positions following the collision involving Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris in Baku. The stewards initially imposed a ten-second time penalty, which became a grid drop because he had retired and could not serve it.
That sanction, explained in the earlier report on Colapinto’s Baku penalty, remains applicable. Friday’s engine punishment is separate and adds another ten places.
The distinction matters: the new engine has increased the total punishment rather than replacing the earlier decision.
| Reason | Grid penalty |
|---|---|
| Collision involving Gasly and Norris in Baku | Five places |
| Fifth internal combustion engine of the season | Ten places |
| Combined penalty at Sepang | 15 places |
With Colapinto already facing a compromised starting position, Alpine reportedly chose this weekend to introduce the fresh Mercedes engine and combine the consequences. Motorsport.com reported that the team considered the existing penalty when deciding to make the change.
Colapinto’s starting position remains provisional
A 15-place penalty does not automatically mean a back-of-the-grid start. The regulation requiring a driver to start at the rear applies when the accumulated grid punishment exceeds 15 positions.
Colapinto’s eventual place therefore depends on his qualifying result and the penalties affecting other drivers. It would be premature to assign him a specific grid slot before Saturday’s session.
He is one of three drivers already facing penalties at Sepang. Isack Hadjar has a five-place drop, while Arvid Lindblad must start at the back after power-unit changes produced a penalty exceeding 15 positions.
For Alpine, the setback also comes during a close constructors’ championship contest with Racing Bulls. The team left Baku 15 points behind its rival, after the collision eliminated both Colapinto and Gasly.
The new engine provides Colapinto with fresh hardware, but the immediate task is harder: qualifying well enough to limit the damage, then recovering positions on Sunday. Gasly is also expected to require a new power unit in the coming races, although Alpine has yet to decide when to introduce it.
Formula 1 is racing this weekend, from 2–4 October, in Malaysia, which hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix. GRANDE PRÊMIO will cover all the action at Sepang.
F1 today: FAQ
Who was fastest in Bahrain GP practice at Sepang?
Max Verstappen topped FP1 with a 1:37.520, beating George Russell by 0.383 seconds. Isack Hadjar finished third, ahead of Charles Leclerc and championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
What time does F1 FP2 start in Malaysia?
FP2 starts on Friday, 2 October, at 16:00 in Malaysia. That is 09:00 BST in the UK, 04:00 EDT in New York and Toronto, 01:00 PDT in Los Angeles and Vancouver, 13:30 IST in India and 18:00 AEST in Sydney and Melbourne.
Why is the Bahrain Grand Prix being held in Malaysia?
The original race at Sakhir was cancelled because of the conflict in the Middle East. Sepang is hosting the replacement event while retaining the Bahrain Grand Prix name, bringing Formula 1 back to the Malaysian circuit for the first time since 2017.
Why does Franco Colapinto have a 15-place grid penalty at Sepang?
He received ten places for using a fifth internal combustion engine, added to the five-place penalty carried over from his Baku collision.
