FIA confirms driver penalty for Bahrain Grand Prix
The FIA has issued a statement after a 'human error' impacted Sprint Qualifying.
SEPANG – Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad is set to take a penalty for this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Lindblad will start the race from the rear of the grid after the team elected to replace a host of power unit components, amassing the equivalent of 30 grid places worth of penalties.
Arvid Lindblad hit with 30-place grid penalty for Bahrain GP in Malaysia
The grid penalty comes after escaping punishment in Azerbaijan when he tagged Racing Bulls teammate Liam Lawson at a Safety Car restart.
Instead, he has picked up a penalty for taking a fifth internal combustion engine, turbo charger, and exhaust set.
Combined, that equates to a grid drop of 30 position.
“The penalty is imposed in accordance with Article B8.2.8 of the FIA F1 Regulations,” the stewards summary noted.
“The use of each additional element in this case carries a 10 grid place penalty therefore there is an accumulation of 30 places.
“Subject to Car 41 being classified in the results of Qualifying, Car 41 will be allocated a grid position in the Race in accordance with Article B2.5.4b.iv of the FIA F1 Regulations.”
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Lindblad is not the only driver with a grid penalty for new power unit elements, with Alpine having made a similar call for Franco Colapinto.
The Argentine was already poised to take a grid penalty following his role in a separate incident in Baku.
Despite his tangle with Lawson, Lindblad recovered to seventh in Azerbaijan to record his third points-scoring finish in as many races and equal his best-F1 finish.
However, it created some tension with his Kiwi teammate, who was less than impressed at how his own race was impacted by the Turn 1 clash.
“We discussed it internally, obviously, what happened, and I know what I’d do differently in future,” Lindblad said on Thursday in Sepang.
“I’ve apologised already and yeah, it’s done now. I know what I’ll do differently in future. We’ve discussed it, so just looking forward to Malaysia now.”
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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