Now, here is a tough way to start a weekend. Valtteri Bottas is facing a staggering grid drop for the Mexico City Grand Prix after Cadillac changed a massive suite of power unit elements on his machine at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
The team, powered by Ferrari engines, bolted on a fresh internal combustion engine, turbocharger, energy store, control electronics unit, and motor generator unit–kinetic to Car 77. Because exceeding the allocation for these elements triggers cumulative penalties—10 places for the first breach of a component and five places for subsequent ones—and all five of these are first-time breaches for the 2026 season, the math adds up to an official drop of 50 places.
A document from F1's governing body confirmed the situation, stating, “Subject to Car 77 being classified in the results of Qualifying, Car 77 will be allocated a grid position in the race in accordance with Article B2.5.4b.iv of the FIA F1 Regulations.” Regulations dictate that any penalty exceeding 15 grid places forces a driver to start right at the back of the field anyway.
It has already been a rough weekend physically for the garage. Bottas missed Thursday's media duties due to illness, while teammate and home hero Sergio Perez also felt unwell and arrived late to the track on Friday. Despite that, both drivers hit the track for practice as planned, though American Colton Herta stepped into Bottas' Cadillac during Free Practice 1 to fulfill a young driver requirement.
Away from the mechanical drama, the Finn's future remains up in the air. He has yet to be confirmed with the team for 2027, contrasting sharply with Perez, who has already locked down his future with Cadillac until 2029.
