A former world champion has criticised a Formula One regulation that could complicate Valtteri Bottas’ return. Bottas is set to return to the sport on a full-time basis with Cadillac after spending the 2025 season with Mercedes, having lost his seat at Sauber at the end of 2024.
The Finn will team up with Sergio Perez at the American outfit, which is preparing to join the championship as Formula One’s first 11th team in a decade.
Damon Hill Criticises Carryover Valtteri Bottas Penalty
Former Mercedes driver Bottas is returning to F1 with Cadillac, but he faces a five-place grid penalty at the 2026 season opener in Australia. This penalty has its origin in a collision in his last race for Sauber at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Despite the FIA’s new 2026 regulations, which allow penalties to be wiped if not served within 12 months, Bottas’s penalty remains due because it was issued before the rule change.
1996 F1 World Champion Damon Hill criticized the decision to impose a grid penalty on Valtteri Bottas at the Australian Grand Prix, calling it “ridiculous.” Hill expressed his views on social media, highlighting the unfairness of the situation. “How ridiculous.”
An FIA spokesperson clarified that there is no mechanism to retroactively amend Bottas’s penalty, emphasizing that the new regulation aims to prevent similar situations in the future. “Currently, the penalty will stand, as there is no mechanism to retroactively amend the penalty that was applied under the regulations in force at the time. The change of regulation is intended to avoid similar anomalous situations in the future.”
The decision has drawn criticism from Hill, the 1996 world champion, who described the ruling as “ridiculous” in a social media post.
The same regulation also affects a former British world champion who is now retired. Jenson Button was handed a three-place grid penalty at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix while substituting for Fernando Alonso, following a collision that sent Pascal Wehrlein’s Sauber into the barriers at Portier. If Button were to return to Formula One competition, the penalty would still apply, despite the incident having occurred nearly nine years ago.
Bottas will begin his comeback carrying a five-place grid penalty incurred at his last Grand Prix. While recent changes to the sporting regulations mean that unserved penalties now expire after 12 months, Bottas’ sanction was issued before the amendment and therefore remains enforceable.
Bottas, a 10-time race winner, partners with Sergio Perez at Cadillac for the 2026 season. Having been a reserve driver at Mercedes last season, Bottas returns to competition after being dropped by Sauber in favor of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. Bottas has previously won the Australian Grand Prix, securing victory at Albert Park in 2019.
