Former Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill has labeled as 'ridiculous' the FIA's decision to enforce a grid penalty on Valtteri Bottas from a 2024 incident for his 2026 debut with Cadillac. The penalty, stemming from a collision in Abu Dhabi, carries over because Bottas did not race in 2025. This will see the Finn start five places lower at the Australian Grand Prix, despite a recent rule change that prevents such carryovers in the future.
Valtteri Bottas is set to begin his full-time return to Formula 1 with a setback, as a five-place grid penalty from the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will apply to the 2026 season opener in Melbourne. The incident involved a collision with Kevin Magnussen while Bottas drove for Sauber, but he sat out the 2025 season as a reserve driver for Mercedes, leaving the sanction unserved.
Damon Hill, the 1996 F1 world champion and former Williams driver, reacted sharply on Instagram Stories, posting simply: “How ridiculous.” His criticism highlights the frustration over rules that allow penalties to linger across seasons, especially for a driver joining a new team like Cadillac, which enters as the 11th squad on the grid for the first time in a decade.
The FIA introduced an update to the Sporting Regulations ahead of 2026, stipulating that unserved penalties older than 12 months will be wiped from a driver's record. However, this change does not apply retroactively to Bottas' case. An FIA spokesperson explained: "Currently, the penalty will stand, as there is no mechanism to retroactively amend the penalty that was applied under the regulations in force at the time." The update aims to avoid similar situations moving forward.
Bottas will team up with Sergio Perez at Cadillac, with the Mexican already having completed the team's first on-track shakedown at Silverstone. The penalty is particularly poignant given Bottas' success at Albert Park, where he dominated to win the 2019 Australian Grand Prix.
This quirk underscores ongoing debates about fairness in F1's regulatory framework as the sport enters a new era with expanded teams and revised rules.
