Penalties for the Bahrain GP in Malaysia: Three drivers affected, more on the horizon

Drivers and race engineers are finding it increasingly difficult to make the engine allocation last. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli has already served a penalty for fitting a new engine and has handled the situation best of all – winning at Monza, having started from 19th on the grid!

Lando Norris, Isack Hadjar, Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, Liam Lawson and Oliver Bearman have also had to exceed the permitted number of engine components and have consequently incurred penalties.

Even before a single practice lap has been completed for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit, we already have three more drivers who have to cope with a grid penalty. And these don’t always have to do with engines.

Argentinian Franco Colapinto will have to drop five places on the starting grid because he took his Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly and world champion Lando Norris out of the race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad is receiving a completely new power unit, so he will have to start the race from the very back of the grid.

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Red Bull Racing driver Isack Hadjar also needs fresh parts (for the third time, following Miami and Spa-Francorchamps). The third-place finisher in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix admitted on media day in Malaysia that he faces a five-place grid penalty.

It is still unclear what will happen next with George Russell. Essentially, a grid penalty is only a matter of time, but discussions are ongoing at Mercedes as to when this should best take place. The options are Sepang or Austin, as overtaking is more difficult in Singapore than in Malaysia or Texas.

Max Verstappen’s engine played up in qualifying, which is why he started from eighth on the grid. In the race, Verstappen – now with an older engine – really turned up the pace and finished just behind winner George Russell. It remains unclear whether the underperforming engine from Baku can remain within the engine allocation or whether the four-time champion will also have to be penalised with a grid penalty sooner or later.