Cadillac Method 1 driver Valtteri Bottas will drop 5 locations on the Australian Grand Prix resulting from an impressive penalty.
Fifteen months in the past, Sauber racer Bottas spun Sergio Perez’ Crimson Bull round on lap one of many 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, touchdown a 10-second penalty; 45 minutes later, as Kevin Magnussen tried to overhaul Bottas across the exterior in that very same Flip 6, the Finn locked each entrance wheels and drove straight into the Haas.
Bottas retired from the grand prix because of the injury, so in lieu of a drive-through penalty, stewards gave him a five-place grid drop for his subsequent race.
Having misplaced his seat at Sauber (now Audi), the veteran already knew he wasn’t going to compete full-time in 2025, and his Mercedes reserve gig did not yield any racing alternatives.
The aforementioned ‘subsequent race’ will due to this fact be the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, when the Cadillac staff makes its F1 debut.
The sporting rules have since been tweaked, with stewards now entitled to manage “a drop of any variety of grid positions for the subsequent Dash or Race through which the driving force participates within the subsequent twelve (12) month interval”.
However the brand new wording isn’t utilized retroactively, in order acknowledged by the stewards of their resolution on 8 December 2024, Bottas will get this penalty in his subsequent race, whatever the timing.
Cadillac isn’t anticipated to make it out of Q1 in Melbourne, except the staff can spring a shock, so the sanction may need little influence on the veteran’s race.
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No race ban in sight for Bottas – however Bearman is in danger
Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Workforce
Picture by: Anni Graf – Method 1 by way of Getty Pictures
Nevertheless, Bottas has misplaced the 5 penalty factors he incurred on his licence that day, as they’re routinely cleared after 12 months, so he isn’t prone to a race ban – in contrast to Oliver Bearman.
Haas sophomore Bearman has been veering dangerously near the 12-point tally on his licence for the previous six months.
As of seven September 2025, the Briton had accrued 10 factors, owing to misdemeanors corresponding to inflicting collisions and breaching red-flag guidelines.
Bearman spent 4 grands prix at direct threat of a ban earlier than dropping right down to eight factors, however a collision with Liam Lawson at Interlagos on 8 November introduced him again as much as 9. He was then discovered responsible of creating multiple change of course when defending from Lance Stroll within the Abu Dhabi GP on 7 December, receiving yet one more level.
The 20-year-old from England will due to this fact must be irreproachable till the Canadian GP, which would be the seventh spherical of the 2026 season. On that Saturday, he’ll lose two penalty factors from his tally of 10.
If Bearman had been to get suspended, he would most definitely get replaced by one in all Haas’ reserve drivers, Jack Doohan or Ryo Hirakawa.
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No different driver has accrued greater than six factors on his licence, with Lawson and Stroll coincidentally the one two racers on six.
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