The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia is already shaping up to be a weekend of recovery drives for three Formula 1 drivers, with Arvid Lindblad, Franco Colapinto and Isack Hadjar all set to carry grid penalties into the race at Sepang.
The trio arrive at a circuit that is unfamiliar territory for much of the current field, only to find their challenge complicated before qualifying has even begun.
Lindblad faces the toughest starting position after Racing Bulls confirmed that he will exceed his permitted power-unit allocation, while Colapinto and Hadjar will both lose five places on the grid.
For Lindblad, the penalty is particularly unfortunate. The 19-year-old rookie is among 12 drivers on the current grid who have never raced at Sepang, where Formula 1 last competed in 2017.
Lindblad faces back-row start
Lindblad will take on new power-unit components that push him beyond his season allocation, automatically consigning him to the back of the grid for Sunday’s race.
It comes just as the Racing Bulls rookie prepares to experience a circuit he first knew as a child watching Formula 1 from home.
“I remember watching this race from the sofa at home with my dad and it was funny, when I watched the highlights yesterday, I remember everything that happened. So, it's going to be very special for me driving this circuit tomorrow,” he said.
Despite the penalty, Lindblad is clearly relishing the opportunity. Sepang’s combination of high temperatures, long straights and unpredictable weather could create plenty of opportunities for a driver starting at the rear.
“I think it'll be fun. I think, honestly, it will actually be. I think it'll be all right with these cars. The weather is going to be interesting, so that could make the whole weekend a bit more exciting.
“I think qualifying will be pretty fun. I think it's going to be a cool track and I think in the race, honestly, it's quite unknown with the tyres.
“I think in the past it's been quite a high-deg circuit, so with the rain, with pit-stop strategy, I think it all could get quite interesting. I think the overtaking possibilities here are reasonably high, so hopefully a fun weekend.”
Lindblad was only nine years old when F1 last raced at Sepang, meaning his first Grand Prix weekend at the circuit will begin with the added burden of having to fight his way through the field.
Colapinto and Hadjar also hit
Colapinto was already known to be carrying a five-place penalty into Malaysia after the Argentine was deemed responsible for the Safety Car restart incident in Baku that eliminated his Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly and McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Now Hadjar has joined him on the list.
The Red Bull driver has confirmed that he will also surrender five grid positions after a power-unit component breach, adding another obstacle to a weekend in which he will already be adapting to the demands of Sepang.
The young Frenchman, however, is refusing to view the penalty as an excuse.
"It's going to be difficult for me, I should be taking five places penalty,” he said.
“But even with the penalty, I believe this is a track that if you have the race pace, you can go up. And if we can't, then it means we're not fast enough. So, that's it,” he said.
With Sepang offering substantial overtaking opportunities and the prospect of rain potentially complicating tyre and pit-stop strategy, all three will at least have reasons to believe their penalties do not necessarily dictate where they will finish.
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