Bottas, Vettel, Russell set to take USGP grid penalties

Valtteri Bottas will have a five-place grid penalty at the United States Grand Prix due to taking new power unit components, with back-of-the grid starts for two other Mercedes-powered cars.

Sebastian Vettel had suggested he was set for a penalty during Thursday’s media sessions and it has been confirmed that both he and George Russell will start from the back of the grid after taking a number of new components that exceed limits. However, Bottas taking a sixth internal combustion engine (ICE) is a surprise, handing the Finn a five-place grid penalty.

Bottas will therefore lose five places on the grid from wherever he qualifies on Saturday, with Mercedes taking the penalty at a track where it expects to be strong. This grid drop makes it four races in a row that Mercedes has taken a penalty, as it follows Lewis Hamilton’s 10-place grid penalty at the last race in Turkey, and consecutive races where Bottas took new components in Italy and Russia.

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Whoever qualifies higher out of Vettel and Russell will start ahead at the back of the grid on Sunday, as both have taken a new ICE, turbocharger and MGU-H.

FP1 also started in ominous fashion for Alpine, with Fernando Alonso bringing out the red flags when he stopped on track "as a precaution" on his first lap of the weekend, so that his team could investigate the issue.