Why Valtteri Bottas has a grid penalty for 2026 Australian GP – already

Cadillac Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas will drop five places on the Australian Grand Prix due to an outstanding penalty.

Fifteen months ago, Sauber racer Bottas spun Sergio Perez’ Red Bull around on lap one of the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, landing a 10-second penalty; 45 minutes later, as Kevin Magnussen attempted to overtake Bottas around the outside in that same Turn 6, the Finn locked both front wheels and drove straight into the Haas.

Bottas retired from the grand prix due to the damage, so in lieu of a drive-through penalty, stewards gave him a five-place grid drop for his next race.

Having lost 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 failed to yield any racing opportunities.

The aforementioned ‘next race’ will therefore be the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, when the Cadillac team makes its F1 debut.

The sporting regulations have since been tweaked, with stewards now entitled to administer “a drop of any number of grid positions for the next Sprint or Race in which the driver participates in the subsequent twelve (12) month period”.

But the new wording is not applied retroactively, so as stated by the stewards in their decision on 8 December 2024, Bottas will get this penalty in his next race, regardless of the timing.

Cadillac isn’t expected to make it out of Q1 in Melbourne, unless the team can spring a surprise, so the sanction might have little impact on the veteran’s race.

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No race ban in sight for Bottas – but Bearman is at risk

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Anni Graf – Formula 1 via Getty Images

However, Bottas has lost the five penalty points he incurred on his licence that day, as they are automatically cleared after 12 months, so he is not at risk of a race ban – unlike Oliver Bearman.

Haas sophomore Bearman has been veering dangerously close to the 12-point tally on his licence for the past six months.

As of 7 September 2025, the Briton had accrued 10 points, owing to misdemeanors such as causing collisions and breaching red-flag rules.

Bearman spent four grands prix at direct risk of a ban before dropping down to eight points, but a collision with Liam Lawson at Interlagos on 8 November brought him back up to nine. He was then found guilty of making more than one change of direction when defending from Lance Stroll in the Abu Dhabi GP on 7 December, receiving one more point.

The 20-year-old from England will therefore need to be irreproachable until the Canadian GP, which will be the seventh round of the 2026 season. On that Saturday, he will lose two penalty points from his tally of 10.

If Bearman were to get suspended, he would most likely be replaced by one of Haas’ reserve drivers, Jack Doohan or Ryo Hirakawa.

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No other driver has accrued more than six points on his licence, with Lawson and Stroll coincidentally the only two racers on six.

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– The Motorsport.com Team