Grid penalties for Bottas and Ricciardo

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Williams driver Valtteri Bottas was handed a three place grid penalty for the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix on Friday for overtaking while red warning flags were displayed to halt practise.

Bottas, who finished the previous Mexican Grand Prix on the podium with third place, admitted to overtaking Brazilian Felipe Nasr’s Sauber. Stewards ruled the Finn could have avoided doing so.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo will have a drop of 10 places after Red Bull changed the engine in his car for the latest Renault specification, exceeding his allocation for the season.

Sunday’s race is the penultimate round of the championship, with both titles already won by Mercedes and Britain’s Lewis Hamilton.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ken Ferris)