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Colapinto penalised in Austin as Antonelli fights for title

Franco Colapinto faces a ten-position grid penalty at the United States Grand Prix after Alpine changed components on his car, while Kimi Antonelli has a chance to clinch the championship.

24 October 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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Archive photo: Colapinto penalised in Austin as Antonelli fights for title — Archive photoPhoto: Liauzh · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The eighteenth round of the Formula 1 championship takes place this weekend at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) confirmed a ten-place grid penalty for Franco Colapinto after Alpine fitted a new electronics control unit to the Argentine driver's car, a change that exceeds the limits allowed under the regulations.

Colapinto finished seventeenth in the first free practice session, two positions behind his teammate Pierre Gasly. In the second training session, the Argentine improved his performance and ended up in fifteenth place, 361 thousandths behind Gasly, while Charles Leclerc topped the session. Despite improvements made to his Alpine during practice, Colapinto will have to start Sunday's race from far back on the grid due to the penalty.

The weekend includes three free practice sessions before qualifying, which will determine the starting order, as well as the third practice session that Colapinto still has to complete. According to reports, the driver focused his opening practice runs on finding performance with a full fuel load to optimise his race strategy.

In the fight for the world title, Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes has a mathematical chance to become champion in Austin, although to achieve it he requires that his direct rivals have poor results. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are the only drivers who can prevent Antonelli from clinching the championship this weekend.

Beyond the sporting side, Liam Lawson put on a special show ahead of the race in Austin, where he took to the stage with his brother Marcus and childhood friends. The weekend will also include Saturday's qualifying session, which will determine the starting positions for Sunday's race at one of the most complete circuits on the calendar.

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