Valtteri Bottas will no longer need to serve the five-place grid penalty at the Australian GP this coming weekend, following a change in FIA regulations. The Finnish driver makes his return as a full-time Formula 1 driver with Cadillac, a team making its debut in the category, but his participation would have been hindered by a penalty imposed after the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP.
Read more F1: Piastri talks about his good relationship with Zak Brown
In Bottas’ last event in 2024, when he was still a Mercedes driver, he was involved in an on-track incident that resulted in the penalty. Since he was unable to serve this penalty, as in 2025 he acted only as a reserve driver for Mercedes without participating in any GP, it was converted into a five-place grid penalty to be served at his next race, which turned out to be this year’s Australian GP.
However, with the update to the FIA regulations before the new season, Bottas was spared from the penalty. Article B2.5.4(b) of the sporting regulations now states that any pending grid penalty is only valid for a period of twelve months, provided it does not exceed fifteen positions. Since the penalty was applied nearly fifteen months ago, it has been officially removed from Bottas’ record, allowing him to start in the position determined by Saturday’s qualifying session without any penalty.
Read more F1: Start procedure change will be implemented at the Australian GP
The initial information was that since the penalty was applied before the rule change, it would have to be served, but the FIA understood that it could include Bottas within the new rule due to the time already elapsed, and thus he escaped the penalty.
This rule change, which aims to provide more clarity and flexibility regarding pending penalties, benefited Bottas in his debut for Cadillac at the Australian GP, allowing him to have a race without the pressure of a grid drop before the race even begins.
Read more F1: Norris is ironic about his biggest title rivals in 2026
