Brutal F1 grid penalties handed out as drivers get ready for tough US Grand Prix

This weekend’s US Grand Prix is going to be a fearsome challenge for the F1 grid, with the fast, sweeping yet bumpy Austin track both destroying tyres and giving drivers a rough ride in Texas.

As if not bad enough, some starting this weekend’s race have even more work to do, with a number of competitors given starting grid penalties for unpermitted engine changes by the stewards.

Certain parts are only permitted to be changed so many times in a season, in a bid to keep costs down and promote sustainability. We run through this weekend’s damage, and look how it will affect drivers’ chances this weekend.

Gabriel Bortoleto - 20 places

Prior to Audi making its world championship debut this year, many were sceptical of its ability to compete, with the German brand having to build its own F1 hybrid power unit for the very first time.

The famous marque has proved both quicker and more reliable than some expected, but that doesn’t mean the season has come without its teething troubles.

Its young Brazilian charge Gabriel Bortoleto, 15th in the championship on 10 points, will suffer a grid drop of 20 places, meaning he’s also most certain to start from the back.

This weekend the Audi man has seen his car take on its fourth electronics unit and fourth engine store (both are limited to three), copping him the 20-place penalisation.

He also has taken on a new internal combustion engine, exhaust and power unit ancillary component, as well as a turbo charger, however he is still still within his allowance on these parts.

“It feels like we’ve been delivering in quali, the races have been going the opposite way,” said the driver who hasn’t scored a point in eight GPs.

“It’s just about putting things together - the speed has been there.”

The Brazilian’s Audi squad is eighth in the title battle but just seven points behind rivals Haas.

Bortoletto is likely to need a canny strategy if he’s going to pull off points this weekend, particularly with tyre degradation set to be high.

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Franco Colapinto - 10 places

2026 has been a solid season for Alpine compared to recent years, finding itself locked in a battle for fifth with Racing Bulls.

Its chances took a serious blow in Baku however, when Franco Colapinto locked up on a restart and managed to take out both team-mate Pierre Gasly and McLaren’s Lando Norris, effectively throwing its chances of a double-points finish away.

In the two events since, Alpine has come away with zero points, and will be looking to start a fightback in Austin.

First though, Colapinto has to contend with a 10-place grid drop for taking his fourth electronics unit of the year.

“We haven’t done any quali sims really,” Colapinto said after practice. “Forcusing on Sunday and trying to be ready for the race, trying to extract a bit more from what we can do with degradation.

“It hasn’t been a bad start. I think our race pace is looking in a good direction, but we are lacking a bit of pace compared to the others.”

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Arvid Lindblad - 5 places

Arvid Lindblad has been one of the breakout stars of 2026, aiding his Racing Bulls team in its fight for fifth in the constructors’ championship.

He’s scored points in four of the last five races, but faces an uphill battle on the undulating Austin circuit, taking a five-place penalty for his sixth internal combustion change of the year. The season allowance is four, with the punishment being a ten-place penalty for first going over the limit, with five-places for every extra change following that.

The Brit explained though how the layout of the circuit gives him a chance to fight back.

“The uphill nature means you can brake very late,” he said of the first steep corner. “I think what’s most exciting about it is more in the race, on lap one, it’s so wide there’s many opportunities with passing.

“I saw a stat the other day that you can fit 14 cars, that’s how wide it is in Turn 1 - I think it just makes for great racing.”