Cadillac will start their debut Formula 1 season in 2026 with a grid penalty for driver Valtteri Bottas. Team principal Graeme Lowden confirmed Bottas will serve a five-place drop at the first race, a carryover from a collision with Kevin Magnussen's Haas at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Stewards found Bottas misjudged his braking, initially handing him a drive-through penalty that converted to a grid drop upon his retirement.
Lowden called the situation a "quirk" of the regulations, especially given the long gap before Cadillac's entry, but stressed the team respects the rules. While the FIA has since added a 12-month time limit to penalty enforcement, this rule is not retroactive. The penalty means the American team's first F1 outing will begin with their lead driver already on the back foot, a challenging start for Cadillac's highly anticipated arrival on the grid.
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