Just in: F1 Star hit with major Disqualification at Spanish GP after Dangerous…Read more

Carlos Sainz has been hit with a three-place grid penalty by the FIA following a dramatic investigation after qualifying for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit in Madrid.
The Williams driver had already endured a difficult qualifying session after failing to progress beyond Q1. Sainz was classified 17th, but his situation became even worse when the FIA stewards investigated an incident involving Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas.
The incident occurred during the closing stages of Q1 at Turns 6 and 7, where Sainz was judged to have unnecessarily impeded Bottas while the Cadillac driver was approaching on a flying lap.
After reviewing video footage, timing data, team radio and onboard recordings, the stewards concluded that Sainz had failed to make sufficient room for Bottas.
The FIA determined that Williams had failed to warn Sainz that Bottas was approaching on a qualifying lap. However, despite the team communication failure, the stewards ruled that Sainz himself had unnecessarily impeded the Cadillac driver.
As a result, Sainz was handed a three-place grid penalty, dropping him from 17th to 20th on the starting grid. The penalty also promotes several drivers behind him, including Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.
Sainz was not the only driver to face FIA scrutiny following qualifying.
Mercedes teammates Kimi Antonelli and George Russell were both investigated. Antonelli was summoned over an allegation of driving unnecessarily slowly, while Russell was investigated for failing to follow the race director’s instructions after rejoining the circuit from an escape road.
Neither Mercedes driver received a grid penalty. Antonelli was given a warning after the stewards accepted that he had acted in good faith but determined that he could have followed the prescribed route. Russell also received a warning after the stewards concluded that he had breached the instructions when rejoining the track.
Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto was also investigated over his failure to maintain the required delta time after making way for another car. The stewards acknowledged the difficulty of managing energy while maintaining the required speed but still concluded that Bortoleto could have done more. He was also spared a grid penalty.
Meanwhile, McLaren received a €900 fine after pole-sitter Lando Norris exceeded the pit-lane speed limit during qualifying. The infringement did not result in a sporting penalty for Norris.
With the investigations now largely settled, Norris retains pole position, with Antonelli alongside him on the front row and Max Verstappen starting third.
For Sainz, however, his home Grand Prix has taken another disappointing turn. After qualifying 17th, the three-place penalty means the Spanish driver will now start from the back of the grid.