Lindblad, Colapinto and Bortoleto hit with grid penalties ahead of United States Grand Prix
Three drivers penalised for power unit changes in Austin
Arvid Lindblad, Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto have all received grid penalties for this weekend's United States Grand Prix after exceeding the number of permitted power unit components.
Racing Bulls rookie Lindblad is once again on the move. He previously started at the back of the grid in Malaysia when the team installed his fifth internal combustion engine of the season, but Racing Bulls have opted to change the element again, marking his sixth ICE of a four-allowed allocation.
Colapinto, who is looking to reduce Alpine's deficit to midfield rivals Racing Bulls, has received a new control electronics unit – his fourth of the campaign.
Audi have made the most alterations to Bortoleto's car. The Brazilian is taking his fourth energy store unit and fourth control electronics unit. A replacement internal combustion engine, turbocharger, exhaust set and power unit ancillary component have also been introduced but remain within the allocation, so won't influence his penalty.
How the penalties stack up
As per the regulations, the first time the allocation of any power unit element is exceeded, a 10-place grid penalty will be applied, with the second time this occurs and so on resulting in a five-place grid drop – all penalties at the same event applying in a cumulative manner.
If a driver incurs a penalty exceeding 15 grid places, they will be required to start the race at the back of the field regardless.
Formula 1 confirms the outcome for Austin:
- Lindblad will take a five-place penalty
- Colapinto will lose 10 positions from his Qualifying result
- Bortoleto is likely to start at the back of the grid with a 20-place drop
Qualifying for the United States Grand Prix gets underway at 1600 local time on Saturday, with lights out in Austin taking place at 1500 on Sunday.