Valtteri Bottas is facing a five-place grid penalty as he prepares to make his Formula 1 return with the newly formed Cadillac F1 team in 2026.
The sanction resulting from a controversial collision during the last Grand Prix the Finnish driver participated in, will still apply despite recent rule changes introduced for the upcoming 2026 F1 season.
The penalty stems from an incident at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix where Valtteri Bottas, driving for the Sauber team at the time, locked up his brakes while defending his position against Kevin Magnussen who was racing for Haas.
The collision caused Magnussen to spin, compromising his race, while Bottas suffered terminal damage and retired from the event.
The stewards deemed the Finn’s maneuver violated the International Sporting Code and handed him a five-place grid drop for the next race, alongside three penalty points on his Superlicence.
Valtteri Bottas is now set to be confirmed as a Cadillac driver for 2026 partnering fellow driver Sergio Perez who is also expected to join the team as it makes its debut.
Given that Bottas did not have a full-time race seat for the 2025 season as he transitioned into a reserve driver role with Mercedes, the question arose whether the penalty would ever be served or if it would carry over indefinitely.
Traditionally, grid penalties in F1 are served at the next race the driver participates in regardless of the time elapsed.
However, the FIA has made several amendments to the sporting regulations ahead of the 2026 F1 season and one rule change has sparked uncertainty around the enforcement of the penalty.
This amendment introduces a 12-month expiration rule for grid penalties, specifying that any grid drop must be served within twelve months of the penalty being applied. If a driver does not start a race within that span the penalty automatically expires.
This initially raised hopes that Bottas might avoid serving his 2024 five-place grid penalty since under the new rule, his penalty would expire on December 9, 2025 – long before the Cadillac F1 team’s expected debut race at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.
Oscar Piastri honoured with Grandstand for 2026 Australian GP, F1 ticket prices confirmed
Lewis Hamilton struggles “exaggerated” as Ferrari boss calls him out for extreme outbursts
While this was contingent on the possibility that the 35-year old driver will not sub for George Russell or Kimi Antonelli before the date, the implication was that he would start fresh without a grid drop hanging over him, allowing the new American outfit to launch their campaign without a handicap.
However, the FIA has since clarified that this amnesty does not apply retroactively to penalties imposed under the old regulations.
An FIA spokesperson explained that there is currently no mechanism to retroactively amend or nullify a penalty that was imposed under the rules in force at the time of the infraction.
“Currently the penalty will stand, as there is no mechanism to retroactively amend the penalty that was applied under the regulations in force at the time,” he said.
“The change of regulation [for 2026] is intended to avoid similar anomalous situations in future.”
As a result, Bottas will be required to serve the five-place grid penalty during his first race in 2026 which is expected to be at the Melbourne Grand Prix.
READ MORE:
F1 Drivers’ wives and girlfriends: Who are current Formula 1 stars dating?
F1 driver net worth 2025: The 12 richest drivers on the grid
