Bottas receives a five-place grid penalty at the Las Vegas Grand Prix
Valtteri Bottas will have to start with a five-place penalty on the grid of the Las Vegas Grand Prix following the use of a fourth energy store this season. This penalty comes as Sauber, still without points in 2024, has just introduced significant upgrades to its car.
Valtteri Bottas will have a five-place grid penalty for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, as a result of a new battery being installed on his car. This decision, confirmed by the FIA, further complicates the Swiss team’s quest for points, which has yet to score any this season.
The sporting regulations of Formula 1 allow each driver to use two energy accumulators per season. However, this is already the fourth one for the Finnish driver, which constitutes a violation of the FIA sporting regulations. This penalty comes at a critical time for Sauber. Indeed, currently in last place in the constructors’ standings, the team is desperately trying to score its first points of the 2024 season.
The situation is all the more frustrating for the team as it had just introduced a significant package of upgrades for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Xevi Pujolar, the sports director of Kick Sauber, had indeed highlighted the importance of these improvements, « If you have elements that you can add to the current floor, and that it brings you a little performance in a context where everything is so tight, it is always worth it, even if it is only 50 milliseconds. »
Furthermore, other drivers have also made changes to their cars for this 50-lap night race, but without incurring penalties. Sergio Perez from Red Bull, Alexander Albon from Williams, as well as Red Bull Racing drivers Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, have all received a new exhaust system. These adjustments, however, remain within the allowed limit of eight units per season. Lawson also had a new gearbox installed in his car, his fourth of the season, which still falls within the limits allowed by the regulations.
Bottas’s penalty comes as Sauber recently announced their departure from the team, as well as that of his teammate Zhou Guanyu after the 2024 season. They will be replaced next year by Nico Hülkenberg and the young Brazilian driver, Gabriel Bortoleto.
But for Bottas and Kick Sauber, the goal remains nonetheless the same for the last three races, which is to try to score their first points of the season. The new developments brought to the car could partially offset this grid penalty, but the task now seems more difficult for the Finn.
