SEPANG – The Racing Bulls team has confirmed that Arvid Lindblad will serve an engine penalty at this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Lindblad will take a grid drop after moving on to a fifth power unit of the F1 2026 season, with the FIA set to officially ratify the penalty in due course.
Arvid Lindblad to serve FIA grid penalty at Bahrain Grand Prix
Lindblad, the only rookie of F1 2026, has enjoyed an impressive debut season with the Red Bull sister team.
The 19-year-old has scored points in all but five races of 2026, recording a best result of seventh in Monaco, Britain and Azerbaijan.
Ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix – held at the former Malaysian Grand Prix venue in Sepang – Racing Bulls has confirmed that Lindblad will start from the back of the grid.
Arvid Lindblad vs Liam Lawson: Racing Bulls head-to-head stats for F1 2026 season
F1 2026: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between teammates
F1 2026: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates
Lindblad’s grid drop comes after the teenager escaped a penalty at last weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix for a collision with Racing Bulls teammate Liam Lawson.
Lindblad and Lawson collided at Turn 1 at the restart as a separate accident involving Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris unfolded simultaneously.
Lindblad was seen approaching Lawson to apologise during the post-race interviews in the paddock.
Speaking to PlanetF1.com and other media outlets after the race in Baku, Lindblad claimed that Esteban Ocon’s Haas moving under braking forced him to take avoiding action, resulting in his tangle with Lawson.
He said: “Everyone braked a little bit too late in Turn 1.
“I was going to make the move on Esteban and he moved in the last minute.
“He basically moved under braking, so I had to take avoiding action, which meant I locked the front slightly and I hit Liam.
“So obviously, I apologised to him already. I apologised to the team because it’s not something you want, because there could have been two of us in the points.”
Racing Bulls holds fifth place in the constructors’ standings entering the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with the team currently 15 points ahead of Alpine.
Lindblad sits 11th in the standings with 37 points, trailing ninth-placed Lawson by 22 points.
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Read next: Bahrain GP predictions: Russell’s final nail, Verstappen lockdown, rain chaos
Originally published by Planet F1 —
Read Original Article