Stroll handed pit-lane start after Aston Martin breaches parc fermé rules at US GP

News Summary

• Lance Stroll will start the 2026 United States Grand Prix from the pit lane after Aston Martin breached Formula 1’s parc fermé regulations.
• The team changed the suspension setup and replaced five power-unit components without FIA approval, while also continuing work beyond the permitted deadline.
• Six drivers move forward on the starting grid, including Carlos Sainz, Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto. Kimi Antonelli retains pole position ahead of Max Verstappen.

Lance Stroll will start the 2026 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix from the pit lane after the FIA confirmed that Aston Martin breached parc fermé regulations ahead of Sunday’s (October 25) race at Circuit of The Americas. The team made unauthorised changes to the Canadian driver’s suspension and power-unit components while also working on his car beyond the permitted deadline.

The decision was published in FIA Document 48, issued by the stewards at 12:30 local time in Austin. Stroll had been due to start 16th following penalties imposed on other drivers, but will now leave the pit lane instead of taking his position on the grid. The ruling promotes Carlos Sainz, Alexander Albon, Sergio Pérez, Valtteri Bottas, Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto by one place, while Kimi Antonelli retains pole position ahead of Max Verstappen.

Why has Lance Stroll been ordered to start the US GP from the pit lane?

The stewards received a report from FIA Technical Delegate Jo Bauer concerning work carried out on Stroll’s Aston Martin after qualifying.

According to the official decision, the team changed the suspension setup under parc fermé conditions, replaced several power-unit components without technical approval and continued working on the car beyond the permitted deadline.

The FIA identified five additional power-unit elements installed on car number 18:

Each additional component carries a five-place grid penalty in this case, resulting in 25 accumulated grid positions.

However, the stewards determined that the circumstances required a more specific sanction under the regulations.

Because the components were replaced without approval during parc fermé, Aston Martin was required to start the car from the pit lane rather than simply serve a conventional grid penalty.

The FIA also established that the team continued working on Stroll’s car more than two hours after qualifying ended and within five hours of the scheduled start of the formation lap.

Finally, the suspension changes constituted another separate breach of the parc fermé requirements.

The stewards cited Articles B8.2.2, B3.4.3a, B3.4.3b, B3.5.3 and B3.5.4 of the FIA Formula 1 Regulations.

The resulting decision was unequivocal: Stroll must start the race from the pit lane.

Stroll’s penalty changes the United States GP starting grid

The decision creates a fourth major starting-order adjustment at Austin, following the earlier penalties imposed on Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad.

Bortoleto had already been sent to the back after Audi exceeded its permitted allocation of power-unit components. Colapinto received a ten-place penalty, while Lindblad was penalised five places for using an additional internal-combustion engine.

Stroll’s pit-lane start means 21 drivers will occupy places on the starting grid, with the Aston Martin driver beginning separately from the pit lane.

Carlos Sainz moves to 16th, followed by Albon, Pérez and Bottas. Colapinto advances to 20th, while Bortoleto moves to 21st on the grid.

F1 2026 United States Grand Prix — Updated starting grid

Starting order revised following FIA Document 48. Qualifying times are taken from each driver’s final qualifying segment. Lawson did not record a Q3 lap, while Stroll is excluded from the conventional grid because of the mandatory pit-lane start. The order remains subject to any subsequent FIA amendments.

Aston Martin faces difficult recovery after late technical changes

Stroll’s penalty creates another complication for Aston Martin, which had already endured a difficult qualifying session in Austin.

Fernando Alonso reached Q2 and qualified 15th before benefiting from penalties imposed on other drivers, moving to 12th. Stroll, meanwhile, was eliminated in Q1 with a lap of 1min36s677.

The decision to replace power-unit components and change the suspension suggests that Aston Martin prioritised preparing the car for Sunday’s race despite the sporting consequences. However, the FIA document does not specify the team’s technical reasons for making those changes.

Starting from the pit lane will leave Stroll with a significant challenge, particularly because he will have to join the race after the cars starting from the grid have passed the pit exit.

The Canadian therefore faces a more difficult opening phase than Bortoleto and Colapinto, who were already preparing to recover from the back of the field.

For Alonso, the revised order leaves him in 12th, immediately behind Nico Hülkenberg and ahead of Oliver Bearman, with an opportunity to challenge for points.

The penalty also highlights the importance of parc fermé restrictions, which limit the modifications teams can make after qualifying. These regulations are designed to prevent competitors from substantially changing the configuration of their cars between qualifying and the race.

Teams can undertake certain authorised maintenance and replacement work, but modifications outside the permitted procedures can result in a mandatory pit-lane start.

In Stroll’s case, the stewards identified multiple infringements rather than a single isolated technical change.

Antonelli retains pole as F1 title battle approaches decisive race

Despite the late changes to the starting order, the first 15 positions remain unchanged, with Antonelli leading Verstappen and Hadjar into Sunday’s race.

The Mercedes driver secured pole with a 1min34s035 lap, giving himself the best possible opportunity to challenge for the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship.

Antonelli leads teammate George Russell by 102 points and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton by 111. He can secure the championship in Austin by winning the race, provided Russell finishes ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower.

The complete championship scenarios remain unchanged by Stroll’s penalty, although the revised grid could influence the midfield battle and the distribution of points.

Verstappen starts alongside Antonelli, with the Dutchman seeking another victory after Red Bull’s recent return to competitiveness. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Hamilton occupy fourth and fifth, while Russell begins sixth.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris line up seventh and eighth, ahead of Liam Lawson, who was prevented from setting a Q3 lap by Racing Bulls to preserve fresh tyres for the race.

The United States Grand Prix begins at 15:00 local time in Austin (17:00 BRT / 20:00 GMT), covering 56 laps of Circuit of The Americas.

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.