Bortoleto to start from back after record 80-place United States GP penalty
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 25, 2026
Bortoleto grid penalty
Gabriel Bortoleto will start from the back of the grid after his Formula One penalty ballooned to 80 places ahead of qualifying for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The FIA confirmed the penalty total after Bortoleto had already been hit with 20 places for a fourth energy store and a fourth control electronics unit. Additional changes added 60 more places and pushed the total to a level that leaves no room for recovery in the normal order of the field. The later work included a fifth engine, turbocharger and exhaust, plus a fifth energy store and control electronics unit, a fourth MGU-K and a seventh power unit ancillary component. That combination turned a routine power unit change into a weekend-defining setback. The total was believed to be a record and the biggest grid penalty in Formula One history. The previous mark belonged to Jenson Button, who took a 70-place penalty in 2015. Because Bortoleto’s total climbed past 15 places, he had to start from the back of the grid, a penalty that strips away any realistic chance of holding a traditional starting spot after qualifying.
FIA grid penalties
Bortoleto was one of three drivers the FIA penalized before qualifying, and the other two changes also came from power unit-related work. Franco Colapinto received a 10-place grid penalty after Alpine introduced a fourth control electronics unit. Arvid Lindblad was handed a five-place penalty after Racing Bulls fitted a sixth internal combustion engine of the season, which went beyond the limit of four allowed. The rulings arrived before qualifying and set the tone for the session by making the starting order a moving target before a lap was even turned. For teams, those kinds of penalties change the focus of a weekend fast. A driver can still chase a strong qualifying run, but the grid place attached to the car may tell a different story once the FIA has finished its checks. That is the position Colapinto and Lindblad now face, with each carrying a setback that will shape how they approach the rest of the weekend. Their penalties were much smaller than Bortoleto’s total, but they still force teams to adjust strategy and manage expectations before the field takes the track for qualifying and race day.
Austin race impact
The penalties add another layer to a United States Grand Prix weekend already tied to one of Formula One’s most demanding circuits. Circuit of the Americas has become a regular stage for tight grid battles, and the FIA’s ruling means the starting order will begin with a major outlier at the back. Bortoleto’s 80-place total stands out most because it combines a record-scale sanction with an automatic trip to the rear of the field. That leaves the rest of the weekend focused on damage control and recovery rather than direct grid position. Colapinto and Lindblad also enter the event carrying penalties that will affect how they can attack qualifying and how much ground they need to make up in the race. The number of places attached to each driver shows how aggressively the FIA enforced component limits, with Bortoleto’s case drawing the sharpest line of the three. In a Formula One weekend, penalties like these do more than reshuffle one session. They alter the competitive picture before the racing even starts, and they leave teams facing a simple task, find pace, limit the loss and take what remains once the grid is set.
