F1 champion rejects 'ridiculous' FIA penalty for first 2026 race

Valtteri Bottas will start the year at a disadvantage

Chris Deeley

Monday 19 January 2026 08:59

Remember when Valtteri Bottas ended the 2024 season with a snapped front suspension after getting a little too ambitious with a move on Kevin Magnussen?

He certainly does. Not because it was a sour note to end his Sauber tenure on (although it was), but because the consequences are still sticking with him to this day – something former F1 champion Damon Hill has called 'ridiculous' this week.

Bottas will start the 2026 season, his comeback in the sport after sitting out last year, with a five-place grid penalty from the 2024 incident being applied at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

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As spotted by a few sharp-eyed internet denizens, Hill posted on his Instagram story about the penalty this week, simply commenting: 'How ridiculous'.

Rule change will not save Bottas from penalty

The rule about penalties carrying over despite an absence from the sport has actually been tweaked for 2026, with penalties now being wiped from a driver's record if they weren't served within 12 months of being awarded.

However, that change won't be retroactively applied to Bottas' own situation, as the FIA confirmed in the summer when his signing for Cadillac was announced.

“Currently," they said, "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 change of regulation is intended to avoid similar anomalous situations in the future.”

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FIA Valtteri Bottas Damon Hill