Franco Colapinto has been demoted two places in the final classification of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix after being found to have committed a yellow flag infringement.
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The stewards also added one penalty point to Colapinto’s licence for the offence, making him the first driver this season to receive a penalty point. They imposed a 10-second time penalty on Colapinto, which drops him from eighth to tenth in the race results. Racing Bulls teammates Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad are promoted to eighth and ninth respectively.
In their decision the stewards concluded Colapinto failed to sufficiently reduce speed in response to the yellow flag. While they noted that “the driver of car 43 slightly reduced speed before entering the single yellow flag zone,” they determined he “did not discernibly reduce speed in the relevant yellow flag sector.”
“The stewards acknowledge that the driver reacted to the yellow flag but do not consider the reaction to be sufficient to comply with the regulations. Therefore a penalty on the lower end of the applicable scale of penalties is imposed,” the stewards wrote.
Colapinto already carried one penalty point from last year, so the new point brings his total to two.
Separately, Williams were fined €10,000 for failing to remove equipment from the grid before the 15-second signal. The stewards explained that when car 23, driven by Alexander Albon, was released from its jacks before the formation lap, parts of the right-front tyre blanket became caught under the car. Although the team attempted to remove these parts before the formation lap began, the attempts were unsuccessful and the car left the grid with a cable still hanging from it, meaning not all equipment had been taken away before the 15-second signal.
The stewards also noted Williams left a plastic box on the ground next to the sister car of Carlos Sainz Jnr, contributing to the breach.
Updated: 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix race result and championship points
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