FIA confirms final US GP starting grid as Stroll sent to pit lane after Aston Martin breach

News Summary

• The FIA has confirmed the final starting grid for the 2026 United States Grand Prix, with Kimi Antonelli retaining pole position ahead of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.
• Lance Stroll must start from the pit lane after Aston Martin breached parc fermé regulations by changing his suspension setup and power-unit components without approval.
• The Canadian’s penalty promotes six drivers, with Franco Colapinto starting 20th and Gabriel Bortoleto 21st, while Arvid Lindblad retains his five-place penalty.

The FIA has officially confirmed the final starting grid for the 2026 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, with Lance Stroll ordered to start from the pit lane following multiple parc fermé infringements by Aston Martin. The decision changes the positions of six drivers ahead of Sunday’s (October 25) race at Circuit of The Americas, while Kimi Antonelli retains pole position for Mercedes.

The definitive classification was published in FIA Document 50 at 14:00 local time in Austin, confirming that only 21 drivers will occupy conventional grid positions. Stroll, who had been provisionally placed 16th after penalties imposed on other competitors, will start separately from the pit lane. The decision moves Carlos Sainz, Alexander Albon, Sergio Pérez, Valtteri Bottas, Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto forward by one position.

FIA confirms Stroll must start from pit lane after Aston Martin breaches regulations

The decision followed an investigation into work carried out on Stroll’s car after Saturday’s qualifying session. According to FIA Document 48, the stewards received a report from the technical delegate establishing that Aston Martin had changed the Canadian driver’s suspension setup and replaced several power-unit components without the required authorisation.

The team also continued working on the car beyond the permitted deadline, committing additional infringements of the parc fermé regulations.

Five power-unit components were replaced, with each additional element carrying a five-place grid penalty. The changes resulted in a cumulative 25-place sanction, although the stewards determined that the circumstances required a mandatory pit-lane start.

The components involved were the sixth internal-combustion engine, seventh turbocharger, eighth energy store, seventh control electronics unit and ninth power-unit ancillary component.

The stewards also established that Aston Martin had continued working on Stroll’s car more than two hours after the end of qualifying and within five hours of the scheduled formation lap.

Finally, the changes to the suspension setup constituted an additional breach because they were completed under parc fermé conditions without the FIA Technical Delegate’s approval.

Under the applicable regulations, Stroll must start from the pit lane regardless of the 25 grid places accumulated through the power-unit replacements.

The ruling adds another complication to Aston Martin’s weekend after a difficult qualifying session in which Stroll was eliminated in Q1. His teammate Fernando Alonso performed better and will start from 12th, immediately behind Nico Hülkenberg’s Audi.

Six drivers gain positions as Bortoleto and Colapinto move forward

Stroll’s exclusion from the conventional starting grid means the drivers originally positioned behind him all move forward one place.

Carlos Sainz now starts 16th for Williams, followed by teammate Alexander Albon in 17th. Cadillac’s Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas occupy 18th and 19th, while Colapinto and Bortoleto complete the 21-car grid.

The change is particularly relevant for Colapinto and Bortoleto, who had already been relegated to the back because of power-unit penalties.

Colapinto received a ten-place grid penalty after Alpine exceeded its permitted allocation of control electronics units. The Argentine qualified 14th but will now start 20th, immediately behind Bottas.

Bortoleto faces a more substantial sanction. The Brazilian qualified 13th for Audi but received an accumulated 80-place grid penalty following several power-unit component replacements during the Austin weekend.

The penalty originally relegated Bortoleto to 22nd, but Stroll’s pit-lane start promotes him to 21st on the final starting grid.

The FIA’s definitive classification also maintains the five-place penalty imposed on Arvid Lindblad, who will start 14th after Racing Bulls exceeded its permitted allocation of internal-combustion engines.

As GRANDE PRÊMIO detailed in its original report on the three power-unit penalties, the sanctions significantly changed the starting order established in Saturday’s qualifying session.

F1 2026 United States Grand Prix — Official final starting grid

The following classification reproduces the starting order confirmed in FIA Document 50, including the qualifying times, gaps to pole position and penalties.

Source: FIA Document 50 — Final Starting Grid, October 25, 2026. Qualifying times are taken from each driver’s last participating segment. Lawson did not complete a timed lap in Q3. Stroll will start from the pit lane and is not assigned a conventional grid position.

Antonelli retains pole as Verstappen and Ferrari prepare to challenge Mercedes

The late changes do not affect the front of the grid, where Kimi Antonelli will start from pole position alongside Max Verstappen.

The Mercedes driver secured the fastest lap in Saturday’s qualifying session, recording 1min34s035 to beat Verstappen by 0.179 seconds.

Isack Hadjar will start third for Red Bull, followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, while George Russell completes the top six.

Ferrari had appeared particularly competitive throughout free practice, with Leclerc leading both Friday sessions and Hamilton topping FP3 ahead of Verstappen.

However, Antonelli delivered the decisive performance during Q3, overcoming Mercedes’ difficulties with tyre temperatures and car balance to secure pole position.

The result creates an important opportunity for the Italian, who can become the 2026 Formula 1 World Champion in Austin.

Antonelli leads Russell by 102 points and Hamilton by 111. To secure the title, he must win Sunday’s Grand Prix while Russell finishes ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower.

The full calculations are available in GRANDE PRÊMIO’s explanation of Antonelli’s championship scenarios.

Lawson starts ninth as Racing Bulls retains strategic advantage

One of the beneficiaries of Saturday’s penalties is Liam Lawson, who will start ninth despite failing to record a timed lap during Q3.

Racing Bulls decided to preserve two unused tyre sets rather than allow the New Zealander to attempt another qualifying run, a decision Lawson admitted he found frustrating.

However, Lindblad’s five-place grid penalty meant Lawson was already positioned to move forward, reducing the incentive for the team to use additional tyres.

As Lawson explained following qualifying, the additional tyre options could prove valuable over the 56-lap race, particularly if degradation becomes a major factor.

The New Zealander will start immediately behind McLaren’s Lando Norris and ahead of Pierre Gasly, putting him in a position to challenge for another points finish.

Lindblad, meanwhile, begins 14th, behind Alonso and Oliver Bearman, and will need to recover positions to join his teammate in the points.

What time does the United States Grand Prix start?

The 2026 United States Grand Prix starts at 15:00 local time in Austin on Sunday, October 25, covering 56 laps of the 5.513km Circuit of The Americas.

British viewers should account for Sunday’s change from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time. GRANDE PRÊMIO’s dedicated UK guide explains why the race begins at 20:00 GMT.

The complete international timetable is also available in the worldwide United States Grand Prix start-time guide, while Indian viewers can find local streaming details and the 01:30 IST start time.

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.

FAQ

Who is on pole position for the 2026 United States Grand Prix?

Kimi Antonelli starts from pole position for Mercedes after setting a lap of 1min34s035. Max Verstappen starts second, with Isack Hadjar third.

Why is Lance Stroll starting from the pit lane?

Aston Martin changed Stroll’s suspension setup and replaced five power-unit components without authorisation during parc fermé. The team also continued working beyond the permitted deadline, resulting in a mandatory pit-lane start.

Where will Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto start in Austin?

Bortoleto starts 21st after receiving 80 grid places in power-unit penalties. Colapinto starts 20th following a ten-place sanction. Both gained one position when Stroll was ordered to start from the pit lane.