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Cadillac Today
By the People, for the People
Bottas Avoids Penalty for 2024 Incident in F1 Comeback
A rule change allows the Cadillac driver to start the Australian Grand Prix without a grid drop.
Published on Mar. 5, 2026
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Valtteri Bottas will not have to serve a 5-place grid penalty from a collision with Sergio Pérez in the final 2024 race when he makes his Formula 1 comeback this weekend at the Australian Grand Prix. A recent update to the F1 sporting regulations has scrubbed off unserved penalties older than 12 months, allowing Bottas to start the race with Cadillac, the new American team he is driving for, without the lingering penalty.
Why it matters
This rule change allows Bottas, who sat out the 2025 season, to start his F1 return with a clean slate. The penalty would have put him at an immediate disadvantage against his new Cadillac teammate Pérez, whom he collided with in their previous race together. The new regulation aims to prevent outdated penalties from unfairly impacting a driver's current season.
The details
Bottas was given the 5-place grid penalty for a collision with then-Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which was Bottas' final race before sitting out the 2025 season. Under previous rules, he would have had to serve that penalty in his first race back. However, a recent update to Article B2.5.4 of the F1 sporting regulations states that 'unserved grid penalties for the Race imposed in the previous twelve (12) months' will be scrubbed off, allowing Bottas to avoid the lingering penalty.
- Bottas received the 5-place grid penalty at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
- Bottas sat out the entire 2025 F1 season.
- The Australian Grand Prix, where Bottas will make his F1 comeback, is scheduled for March 2026.
The players
Valtteri Bottas
Finnish driver making his Formula 1 comeback in 2026 with the new Cadillac team.
Sergio Pérez
Mexican driver who was previously with Red Bull and is now Bottas' teammate at Cadillac.
Cadillac
The new American Formula 1 team that Bottas and Pérez will drive for in 2026.
What’s next
The Australian Grand Prix, where Bottas will make his F1 comeback with Cadillac, is scheduled for March 2026.
The takeaway
The updated F1 regulations demonstrate the sport's efforts to ensure that outdated penalties do not unfairly impact a driver's current season, especially in cases where a driver has taken a break from competition. This change allows Bottas to start his Formula 1 return with Cadillac on an even playing field.
