F1 Austin: Bortoleto drops 20 places, Colapinto 10, Lindblad 5

In Austin, FIA stewards confirmed three grid penalties on Friday for the F1 United States Grand Prix. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) drops 20 places, Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 10 and Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) 5. None punishes a driving error: all come from exceeding the number of power unit components allowed over the season.

Bortoleto: 20 places at Audi

This is the heaviest of the three. Audi fitted a fourth energy store and a fourth control electronics unit to Bortoleto's car. Each extra component costs 10 places, so 20 in total.

Colapinto: 10 places at Alpine

Alpine fitted a fourth control electronics unit to Colapinto's car, when the allowance is three. Just one component too many, hence a 10-place penalty.

Lindblad: 5 places at Racing Bulls

Racing Bulls fitted a sixth internal combustion engine to Lindblad's car, one more than the limit. The penalty is 5 places.

What these penalties change

• They apply to each driver's next race, Sunday's United States Grand Prix.
• They do not change Friday's practice classification and do not set the grid before qualifying.
• They punish the use of parts, not behaviour on track: it was the report of the FIA technical delegate that had flagged the breaches.

The list could still grow, Motorsport.com notes: other teams could change power unit parts before Sunday.

Three teams, three different components

• Audi: a fourth energy store and a fourth control electronics unit, so two components at 10 places each;
• Alpine: a fourth control electronics unit, when the allowance is three;
• Racing Bulls: a sixth internal combustion engine, one more than the limit.

These penalties are purely about hardware: they say nothing about the performance of the cars and change neither free practice nor qualifying. They will weigh on the grid of Sunday's United States Grand Prix.