The FIA has removed a grid penalty for a driver on the eve of the Australian Grand Prix, which opens the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Before the start of the new season, there had been talk of a grid penalty that a driver was supposed to serve due to an incident during the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Although the FIA had introduced a rule stating that penalties must be served within twelve months, it initially seemed that previous sanctions would still remain in effect.
The driver’s announcement on social media
It turns out, however, that the new Cadillac driver will not have to start with a five-place grid drop in the first race of 2026. The announcement came directly from Valtteri Bottas in a video posted on his social media profiles from the Melbourne paddock. “It’s great to be back in the Melbourne paddock for the first race of the year. But I also have some other good news. Remember my five-place penalty I was supposed to serve in the race? It seems that with the new regulations it has been canceled,” said the former Mercedes driver.
This point was also confirmed during the press conference that opened the weekend. “Don’t you follow me on social media?” Bottas responded to a journalist who asked him for a comment on the penalty. “Apparently it no longer exists. And I’m fine with that.”
It is therefore good news for Valtteri Bottas, ahead of his return to the grid as a full-time driver, and for Cadillac, which will now have both of its drivers available for their first Formula 1 race of the season.
Valtteri Bottas’s cleared penalty serves as a lucky break for the newly formed Cadillac team. Navigating the complexities of a technical reset is challenging enough without the burden of a historical grid drop, and this regulatory “reset” provides Bottas with the perfect opportunity to showcase Cadillac’s early pace in Melbourne. By removing the 2024 baggage, the FIA has ensured that the spotlight remains firmly on the performance of the new 2026 machinery rather than past infractions.
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