São Paulo Grand Prix · Analysis
Why Hamilton starts ahead of Verstappen at São Paulo
Lewis Hamilton is 20th and Max Verstappen 21st on the provisional São Paulo GP grid. Here’s how F1’s 15-place threshold puts the Ferrari ahead.
Lewis Hamilton is set to start the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix one place ahead of Max Verstappen despite picking up 75 places in grid penalties to Verstappen’s 30. The FIA’s provisional grid puts Hamilton 20th and Verstappen 21st. Both penalties exceeded 15 places, so their qualifying positions decided who lined up ahead.
How the 15-place threshold works
Under Article B2.5.4(b)(iv) of the FIA Sporting Regulations, classified drivers with more than 15 places in cumulative grid penalties go behind the other classified drivers. The FIA then orders that group by its qualifying results. A 75-place penalty and a 30-place penalty therefore have the same effect on where a driver can start within that group.
Hamilton was 11th in rain-disrupted qualifying at Interlagos. Verstappen made it through Q1 but stayed in the garage for Q2, leaving him 16th in the final classification. Sergio Pérez qualified 21st and also received a 30-place power-unit penalty, so the Cadillac driver is 22nd on the provisional grid.
The smaller penalties show where the rule changes. George Russell’s five-place drop took him from second in qualifying to seventh on the grid, while Charles Leclerc’s 10-place penalty moved him from fourth to 14th. Penalties totalling 15 places or fewer are added to a driver’s qualifying position to set a temporary grid slot, which can move forward as the FIA fills the grid.
How Hamilton’s penalty reached 75 places
Ferrari fitted Hamilton’s fifth internal combustion engine of the season before final practice, triggering a 10-place penalty. After smoke cut his session short, Ferrari replaced his entire power unit before qualifying. The sixth combustion engine carried a further five-place drop, and six other components added 10 places each. That second decision added 65 places to the original 10.
Red Bull’s changes were more limited. Verstappen took a fifth combustion engine, turbocharger and exhaust set, each carrying a 10-place penalty. Both drivers were already bound for the back by the time they went out in Q1, but Hamilton’s 11th place still earned him the first of the three slots at the rear.