FIA Issues Penalties for Alonso and Cadillac After Barcelona FP2

Stewards spent a busy Friday in Barcelona sorting through several incidents from the second free practice session. While Fernando Alonso escaped with a formal warning for a pit lane exit infraction, the paddock's newest entrant, Cadillac, received a costly lesson in operational precision regarding pit lane speed limits.

Why it matters:

For a new entry like Cadillac, these early procedural errors highlight the steep learning curve of operating within the rigid constraints of FIA regulations. While the financial penalties are negligible in the context of a team budget, maintaining strict operational discipline in the pit lane is critical to avoid more severe sporting penalties that could compromise race results.

The details:

• Fernando Alonso: The veteran driver was issued a warning for crossing the pit lane exit, which constitutes a breach of Appendix L, Chapter IV Article 6 c) of the International Sporting Code.
• Cadillac Speeding Infractions: Both Cadillac drivers were found guilty of exceeding the 80 km/h pit lane speed limit during the session.
• Valtteri Bottas: A marginal overage of 0.5 km/h above the limit resulted in a €100 fine for the team.
• Sergio Perez: A more significant breach of 4.4 km/h over the limit led to a €500 fine.
• Total Penalty: Cadillac shelled out a total of €600 to settle the speeding violations.

What's next:

With these administrative hurdles cleared, the focus now shifts to how Cadillac's performance evolves as they navigate the complexities of the 2026 season. The team will need to tighten their pit lane protocols to ensure that minor mishaps do not distract from their technical development and on-track competitiveness as the weekend progresses.