The FIA has confirmed that Gabriel Bortoleto will incur 60 places' worth of grid penalties for the United States Grand Prix after his Audi team introduced multiple new engine components beyond his seasonal allowance.
The penalties, all to be served in Austin on Sunday, follow a series of rule breaches that were progressively confirmed ahead of qualifying. Bortoleto, who qualified 13th on the road, will now start from the very back of the grid.
New Parts Trigger Penalties
On Friday, it was confirmed that three drivers had fitted new power unit components beyond their annual allocation. Each car is limited to a certain number of engine parts per season, and any new parts introduced beyond that allocation carry automatic grid penalties.
The standard punishment is a 10-place grid drop for the first time a driver exceeds their allowance for a particular component, with each further breach over the rest of the season worth five places. With modern F1 engines comprising many components, the penalties can quickly accumulate.
For Bortoleto, Audi initially fitted a new energy store and a fourth control electronics unit, both of which were his fourth of the year. As the limit for each is three per year, both carried 10-place penalties.
Further Breaches Confirmed
Regulations state that any cumulative grid penalties exceeding 15 places are converted into an automatic back-of-grid start, so Audi proceeded with additional changes. A fifth energy store and fifth control electronics unit were added, each worth five places as second breaches.
Bortoleto also took a fifth internal combustion engine, a fifth turbocharger, a fifth exhaust set, a fourth kinetic energy generator unit, and a seventh power unit ancillary component of the year. All of these were first offences in 2026, each worth 10 places.
In total, the new parts racked up 60 places' worth of grid drops. Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft quipped live on air that Bortoleto would be starting the race from Houston while the rest of the field is in Austin. Despite qualifying 13th, Bortoleto always knew he would line up at the very back of the grid on Sunday.
