Valtteri Bottas has returned to former team Mercedes as a reserve driver, following his departure from Stake Sauber. The future Audi team opted for a new driver line-up of Nico Hulkenberg and rookie Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto for 2025 and …
Valtteri Bottas has returned to former team Mercedes as a reserve driver, following his departure from Stake Sauber.
The future Audi team opted for a new driver line-up of Nico Hulkenberg and rookie Formula 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto for 2025 and ’26 as it evolves into a full works constructor, leaving Bottas without a race seat for next season. Having won 10 races for Mercedes between 2017 and 2021, the Finn will now be a reserve to George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
“I’m happy to finally answer the question I’ve posed over the past month,” Bottas said, referencing his “What Next?” campaign. “Returning home to the Mercedes family as third driver for 2025 is what’s next and I couldn’t be more pleased. I want to thank Toto [Wolff], the team at Brackley, and everyone at the three-pointed star for welcoming me back with open arms.
“Despite the challenges of the past few years, I know that I’ve still got so much more to contribute to F1. Since I was a five-year-old kid growing up in Nastola, Finland, my focus has been on achieving success in the top tier of motorsport. I’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed many incredible moments in my 12 years of racing in F1 so far.
“As I return to the place where so many of those moments were achieved, I’m looking forward to using all the knowledge I’ve gained to help the team to perform and progress towards our goal of fighting for world championships.
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Team principal Wolff says Bottas’ influence on the team’s past successes beyond his own results should not be overlooked, having helped Mercedes win the constructors’ championship in every season together.
“Welcome home, Valtteri!” Bottas said. “It’s great to have you back. His impact and contribution in the five years he was with us previously as our race driver was immense.
“Along with scoring multiple grands prix wins, he played a vital role in five of our championship victories. His technical feedback and input were important in helping us to those successes and pushing the team forward.
“Not only that, but he was also a fantastic colleague and team member. His dry sense of humor and personable nature made him a firm favorite with everyone at Brackley and Brixworth. In his role as reserve driver, all those qualities will be incredibly important in helping us compete for world championships and supporting both George and Kimi on track.”
A number of the Formula 1 drivers have backed General Motors’ arrival in the sport with the Cadillac brand, with the likes of Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen open to future race seat opportunities with the team. F1 announced it is working …
A number of the Formula 1 drivers have backed General Motors’ arrival in the sport with the Cadillac brand, with the likes of Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen open to future race seat opportunities with the team.
F1 announced it is working towards GM joining the grid in 2026, whereby the team will run under the Cadillac name and use a customer power unit deal until its own works engine is ready in 2028. Its addition will expand the field to 11 teams and 22 cars, and Lewis Hamilton said it will also provide extra positions for engineers and mechanics as well as drivers.
“I think it’s great,” Hamilton said. “I’ve always been super supportive of having another team; more cars on the grid. To think of how many more job opportunities that is… I’m so happy to hear that it’s happening.”
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Hamilton is one of the drivers who has raced in a grid of more than 20 cars in the past – the last year being 2016 when the Manor team was last competing – and Fernando Alonso similarly backed a project that includes some of his former colleagues such as technical director Nick Chester, advisor Pat Symonds and COO Rob White.
“Eleventh team, 22 drivers, it’s not the first time that we will be 22 on the grid,” Alonso said. “It’s a complex decision for the sport in general but if they came to that conclusion it’s because it’s the best for everybody. I will always support whatever management think that is the best.
“For the team personnel, they have a couple of people that were in the Renault days and for sure they will have a huge contribution right now at the very early part of the project, with a lot of experience in Formula 1 and in the sport. So I wish the best of luck. A new team is never an easy task, but I think they will be well prepared and they have the right people.”
For many of the younger drivers it will be the first time they race on a grid of more than 20 F1 cars, and Charles Leclerc said that provides more chances for up-and-coming driving talent, too.
“It’s the first time in my career that I’ll be 22 on the grid in F1, and that’s exciting,” Leclerc said. “I also think that there are lots of young drivers waiting for a place in Formula 1, and that will obviously give more opportunities to very talented young drivers that are dreaming to get into Formula 1. So for that, this is a good thing, and cool to have two more cars on the grid.”
Pierre Gasly echoed Leclerc’s sentiments, and emphasized benefits from a racing spectacle point of view.
“It’s exciting,” he said. “It’s going to be my first time to race with 22 cars in F1. So more rivals, probably more action, more racing. So, exciting times. I think it’s been a long topic for quite a long time. So I’m sure if they came to that conclusion, definitely means it’s the best for the sport. So I’m excited about it.”
But it’s not just young drivers who are excited by the prospect. Bottas is out of a seat at the end of this year and said he has spoken to GM already about his availability for 2026.
“I think that’s just increased the chances of getting a seat for 2026, which ultimately is the goal,” Bottas said. “But if not, then there’s lots of other cool things in other series.
“Yes (I’ve had talks), I think for sure I’m not the only one, but of course, it’s interesting for me, and I think it’s great for F1. Great brand, GM is a big backer behind it so, for sure, it’s an interesting project.”
Magnussen is another who is set to drop off the grid next year, and he has history with the manufacturer after racing a Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac in IMSA in 2021.
“Absolutely, I think it’s exciting to see,” Magnussen said. “It’s a proper competitor coming in, a great name and an OEM who’s going to come in with guns blazing and throw everything at it I’m sure. So it’s exciting for the sport, exciting for the driver market, for the grid.
“You never know of course. I have driven for the factory before in IMSA, it was the factory Cadillac that I drove there, so I know the management, I know the people there. They know me. So you don’t know.”
Along with those more experienced names, Zhou Guanyu – who scored his first points of the season in Qatar on Sunday – has links to the GM entry’s advisory team, and says he’s also looking at the new constructor as a potential opportunity to get back on the grid in just over a year’s time.
“I’m fully aware that GM and also Cadillac joined the grid,” Zhou said. “I think it’s very good for the sport in general because a lot of people are always talking about having not enough seats for the people, the young drivers available. Clearly, I think we have a lot of young drivers for next year.
“From my position, it’s a great opportunity and a great chance for next season when I’m not having a seat. So I can probably think about what the future will be and try to have an opportunity there. So I’m aware of that.
“But everything was just only announced this week. We still need to go through further details a bit more on that. But for me, my priority is trying to have another chance of coming back on the grid. So for me, I don’t really have where I go, but if there’s a chance to grab, I will absolutely take it.”
Sauber Motorsport COO and CTO Mattia Binotto admits it was a tough decision to replace Valtteri Bottas with Gabriel Bortoleto in 2025. Bortoleto was announced on Wednesday morning, finalizing an all-new line-up next season of the Brazilian rookie …
Sauber Motorsport COO and CTO Mattia Binotto admits it was a tough decision to replace Valtteri Bottas with Gabriel Bortoleto in 2025.
Bortoleto was announced on Wednesday morning, finalizing an all-new line-up next season of the Brazilian rookie and Nico Hulkenberg. That means there is no place for 35-year-old Bottas, and Binotto admits the 10-time grand prix winner was one of the main contenders for the vacancy but that the timing felt right to introduce a young driver while the Stake team evolves into the Audi works outfit.
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“I’m getting on very well with Valtteri,” Binotto (pictured above, with Bottas) said. “It has been a great relationship since I’ve started here in August, building it, trusting each other. And I think we really set up and had good communication between us. We had several talks about the journey, the length and duration of the journey, and the difficulties we will maybe face in the next seasons.
“We know that the next one will be a difficult season as a team, as a journey towards the Audi F1 transformation. It’s a long journey. I think on the duration is where we mainly reflected together a lot, and it’s where I came to the conclusion that maybe we will need to have a young driver with us.
“So all of it with him has been a mutual, let’s say, understanding — if not agreement, certainly a mutual understanding — of the situation, the facts and what’s required.
“More than that, I would like to underline I think he has certainly been a very strong candidate. I know he’s very fast. I know that he has proven to be very fast until today, very fit, he knows the team. Certainly he is very highly rated here, and he’s very highly rated in the paddock.
“So overall it has not been an easy one, but sometimes you need to come to a conclusion and make a decision. And we made it.”
Bottas says both sides were aware of where their future plans did not match up, as the Finn now looks certain to not race in Formula 1 in 2025.
“A situation like this is never easy for anyone,” Bottas said. “But after all the good and in-depth discussions we had in the past weeks, we realized that the conditions to grow this project together were not met.
“These past years with the team have been an incredible journey, full of growth, challenges and unforgettable moments. I’m grateful for the joint experiences as well as the trust and support I’ve felt every step of the way. Though it’s time to move on, I’ll always carry a piece of this team with me, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for us both.
“When one door closes, another one opens. I’m actually very excited for the future and what’s next.”
It was not even 24 hours after the Belgian Grand Prix had ended, when members of Formula 1 teams were preparing to take a few weeks off during August, that Carlos Sainz finally announced his next move. Sainz had been described as the cork in the …
It was not even 24 hours after the Belgian Grand Prix had ended, when members of Formula 1 teams were preparing to take a few weeks off during August, that Carlos Sainz finally announced his next move.
Sainz had been described as the cork in the bottle by Kevin Magnussen – on the record, and in sometimes more colorful language by multiple other drivers off it – when it came to the driver market, with so many teams showing interest and making offers to the Spaniard.
Realistically Sainz’s options came down to a choice between Williams, Alpine and Stake/Sauber/Audi, and while Sainz’s decision has brought clarity for the first of that trio’s situation, the other two still have vacancies that need filling.
Further clarity may be imminent as the paddock reconvenes in Zandvoort this weekend, but there’s also a chance there’s going to be less of a rush as neither team appears to have been able to secure their first choice.
If we start with the more competitive of the two at the moment, Alpine might finally be about to promote one of its junior drivers into a race seat – and fair play to the team for putting itself in that position given its ongoing off-track instability and where it started this season.
It’s always tough to compare drivers, but the success of Oscar Piastri after a year in the reserve role at Enstone shows that Alpine can prepare young talent even if it hasn’t always then handled their contracts effectively, and Jack Doohan has been following in his fellow Australian’s footsteps over the past two years.
This year is far more similar to Piastri’s final year with Alpine, as Doohan isn’t racing but solely focused on the reserve and development role, and he has made a strong case for a chance in F1 with testing outings on top of some of his previous F2 performances.
But he’s not alone on that list, with Valtteri Bottas still on the market and serving as an experienced option should Alpine want to head that way. So is his current teammate Zhou Guanyu, a former Renault junior who never got a shot in a race seat with the team. The latter could bring backing as well as some experience now, but would also be a slightly harsh call over Doohan.
Mick Schumacher has ties through Alpine’s hypercar program and will also be a consideration, and Kevin Magnussen is also a free agent if the team wants more experience and doesn’t get Bottas.
Bottas and Magnussen are both experienced options. Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
The future Audi project has been a bit of a mess over the past 18 months, and it has shown through the managerial changes that have taken place recently, alongside the fact it couldn’t convince Sainz to join.
But the hirings of Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley are strong ones, and all of the drivers above will hold some interest in being part of the transition next year. Sebastian Vettel’s name has also been linked with a return to F1 with Audi, although Helmut Marko clarified he was one of multiple options he mentioned as attractive German drivers that could partner Nico Hulkenberg.
Such is the lack of clear expectations over where the team goes next after missing out on Sainz, however, that even the name of Formula 2 title contender Gabriel Bortoleto has cropped up in passing. The Brazilian impressed in his rookie year, but is part of the McLaren young driver setup.
The lack of firm interest from Mercedes in Sainz was somewhat surprising to Williams team principal James Vowles, but it also served to somewhat keep Toto Wolff’s team out of the limelight when it comes to its driver situation. In any other year, there would be incessant focus on the vacancy at Mercedes, with the team needing to replace the most successful driver in F1 history when Lewis Hamilton heads for Ferrari.
That’s not to say there hasn’t been attention on Mercedes, but certainly less than you might have expected for that seat given the way the driver market has been playing out, and with the growing feeling that it will be Andrea Kimi Antonelli making the step up as a rookie.
Antonelli turns 18 at the end of this weekend, and that opens up the possibility of him making an FP1 appearance at his home race in Monza. He has tested for Mercedes already this year, but it would be another step on the path towards a full-time race seat if he were to get a Friday practice outing. If he does, take it as a sign of the continuing trend towards Antonelli partnering George Russell in 2025.
Lawson and Perez’s futures have been constant talking points. Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
And the other factor to keep in mind, despite comments at the start of the break, is the ongoing focus at Red Bull relating to Sergio Perez.
Marko promised a decision on reserve driver Liam Lawson next month – meaning in September – and he’s certainly a strong candidate for the as-yet-unconfirmed RB seat, but that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be movement elsewhere too.
The decision from Red Bull to stick by Perez and show faith in him heading into the break was sensible in the way that it meant there were no doubts or strong rumors during those few weeks. But that also doesn’t mean the team is guaranteeing him his spot indefinitely.
The focus will be on making sure the car helps Perez feel more confident behind the wheel, and Red Bull is taking on its share of the responsibility on that front. But if there is not an upturn in performances and results alongside that work, then Perez is not immune from replacement.
That could provide a lifeline to Daniel Ricciardo, who is currently staring at a departure from RB unless he produces some remarkable performances. He probably needs to be doing that anyway, but if Perez does regain the type of form that he had at the start of the season then there won’t be room for Ricciardo at Red Bull and Lawson could well be replacing him in 2025. And that’s without factoring in the job Isack Hadjar is doing in F2, where he leads the championship.
Decisions and announcements could come at any time, but what it all adds up to is at least the potential for a quiet spell, because Mercedes and RB look extremely likely to promote from within their own ranks.
Alpine and Stake then have a large number of potential candidates to choose from. The ball is now more in their courts than Sainz’s, as was the case previously, so if they don’t make quick commitments there could still be a few twists and turns in the market yet.
Valtteri Bottas has acknowledged that the difficulties currently limiting results for Stake could impact his chances in this year’s driver market, as he ponders potential options in Formula 1 outside of the team. The Sauber-run team has yet to score …
Valtteri Bottas has acknowledged that the difficulties currently limiting results for Stake could impact his chances in this year’s driver market, as he ponders potential options in Formula 1 outside of the team.
The Sauber-run team has yet to score a point this season as it has struggled for performance on certain tracks, but also been severely hampered by pit stop issues. In Japan, a strong result slipped away from Bottas after he had been in the fight for Q3 on the Saturday. A full fix for the pit stop issue is not due until Imola and the Finn — who is out of contract at the end of this season — admits it’s harder to catch the eye when such opportunities are missed.
“That’s how motorsports works — sometimes it’s more difficult to show what you can do,” Bottas said. “I think the people that really look into the details and try to see how each driver is performing, they will see. But I would say that for the outside world, it’s tricky. When you’re not scoring, you’re almost hidden, in a way.
“I feel like I’ve had a couple of good qualifying sessions and good races so far, but they have been always compromised — something has happened, either on the stops or [something] else. All I can do is try and perform the best I can, so hopefully, the right people will see that.
“Absolutely [the team can see it]. They know the work I’ve been putting in. Like last week, still testing for two days in Japan, non-stop, I did five race distances, then flew overnight and went straight into the simulator doing the correlation. So they know.”
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Stating that remaining at Stake — set to become the Audi works team in 2026 — is not his only opportunity for next year and that he has multiple options within F1, Bottas acknowledges it could be dangerous to wait to finalize his next contract given the number of drivers available.
“I think there are things that will start happening quite soon,” he said. “Like, now, obviously Fernando [Alonso] has decided to stay with Aston, so that’s done. And, actually, there are not that many falling pieces anywhere.
“Of course there are questions on some drivers, like what is Carlos [Sainz] going to do? What’s Mercedes going to do? All these things. So, I would say ideally within the next few weeks it starts getting sorted. We’re working on it, for sure — talks have started, so it should be an interesting few weeks ahead.”
If you watched qualifying for IndyCar’s GMR Grand Prix of Indy to kick off the month of May you’ll have seen the fourth-closest Firestone Fast Six in history, with under 0.3s covering the entire six, and the gap between pole and second coming in at …
If you watched qualifying for IndyCar’s GMR Grand Prix of Indy to kick off the month of May you’ll have seen the fourth-closest Firestone Fast Six in history, with under 0.3s covering the entire six, and the gap between pole and second coming in at below 0.003s.
Granted, it wasn’t a clean session, but the margin between pole and second in Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix a week before was logged at 0.361s, and the top six was spread out to the tune of nearly a second.
But Monaco delivered a thrilling fight for pole position, and F1 has actually seen the two closest field spreads in the history of its current qualifying format this year, with Q1 in Bahrain the tightest at 1.188s from P1 to P20, just pipping Miami’s 1.214s.
Yet as we all know, there’s no way Logan Sargeant can hope to make up that deficit from last to first just through setup and driver skill, such are the differences between F1 machinery. It’s one of the most fascinating and impressive factors of the category, with the regular upgrades — such as the ones set to be introduced in Barcelona this weekend — having such an influence on car development and performance.
But it also means there’s only so much a driver can do. They might be performing at the top of their game but the equipment will always be the main limit to their results.
Take Valtteri Bottas for example. In 2021 there were regular poles, podiums and a dominant win in Turkey thanks to the Mercedes he had at his disposal. A year later, he’s restricted to a solitary top-five and 10th in the championship, but many would say his first season at Alfa Romeo saw him driving as well if not better than before.
“It’s hard, and it’s definitely not always fair,” Bottas tells RACER. “There’s so many variables in this sport, like the car, the condition of the car, the setup, all these kind of things. So it’s not easy to accept sometimes if this guy is probably driving worse than me but he’s a few places ahead, and vice versa.
“Sometimes somebody might win a race that probably didn’t drive the best on the grid that day. That’s the nature of the sport — it’s always been like that. So it’s not always fair and you need to learn how to deal with it and accept those factors.
“I think in the end the main thing becomes focusing on your own work, making sure that you’re making the most out of it. Because that’s the driver’s job — to squeeze everything out of the car, and then after, give the best feedback you can.”
That feedback can only fully start once the car hits the track for pre-season testing, and its limitations or weaknesses can be felt in full. But drivers are well informed long before that point about the new chassis they’re going to be receiving, and where the team expects it to stack up.
“You normally get a pretty good prediction on aero numbers compared to last year, so then you can kind of guesstimate something,” Bottas says. “Let’s take an example of Aston Martin — you don’t know for a team like that if they’re gonna make a big jump over the winter or not.
“If you’re on a similar level than the previous year when you start a new season, then you know you’re screwed! So you need to be quite a bit up. And also, over the winter, normally in the wind tunnel how they find the performance, there’s like a graph. And if there’s been like a steady state, or if it’s been like that (sharply up), then you kind of get an idea that, OK, it’s been a good winter or a bad winter.
“Other things as well, such as new mechanical things — regarding the suspension, balance tools, stuff like that — you kind of know what’s coming, and then you can try and guesstimate where you’ll be.”
Lionel Ng/Motorsport Images
And despite what teams and drivers say, their whole mood is impacted by how competitive the car looks from the outset. Lap times are always analyzed and understood, and that can mean a pretty clear picture of where a team is likely to be fighting during the year, which in turn can be tough to handle knowing what the next 12 months are likely to hold.
“Of course it makes a difference,” Bottas agrees. “Let’s say, from all the conclusions from winter testing, if you see that you’re dead last, you know it’s going to be a tough season. But if you’re top three, you know that, ‘OK, there’s a great chance.’ So yeah, for sure that makes the mood, but the key thing is never let the mood kind of drag you down, or drag the team down.
“You always need to stay motivated in this sport and always need to keep pushing people and asking for more, because that’s how the sport works. But yeah, of course, in Formula 1 everything is more fun when the car is good, that’s just how it goes!”
Perhaps the toughest time is for a rookie, when the step is made from winning regularly in junior categories that are spec series, offering a much more level playing field. To go from that being the norm to a car that might not allow you to compete with most of the other drivers on the grid can be tough, though Bottas admits his own career path smoothed that transition.
“I was quite OK with it. Obviously, first year, everything is exciting anyway. The car wasn’t great, but that didn’t really put me down because I was focusing on trying to prove myself, that I belong in Formula 1. And then I finally had a couple of highlights in the first season which then secured me the drive.
“Then the next year already we actually then had a big jump — the 2014 Williams, I think six podiums, which was pretty cool. So, I’ve had good and bad cars and you just learn how to deal with it.”
Competitiveness is the focus rather than simply being quick. Pace is relative, and for someone like Bottas the priority is always lap time over changes and developments that suit his driving style or make the car more to his liking.
“I take lap time whatever. If I have to drive the car sideways, if the lap time is good, it’s all about performance,” he says. “It doesn’t matter — even when it was the porpoising issues and stuff, for me, if there was porpoising I would always take a setup that is faster, no matter what.”
Maximizing what you have to work with brings its own emotional rewards, but Bottas admits there’s still nothing like strong results – which are hard to come by for all but F1’s top teams. Jake Grant/Motorsport Images
But another popular myth is that drivers are most proud of a drive where they’ve maximized the result over the end result itself. There is some truth to that, but Bottas admits everyone performing to their maximum is still no substitute to a better return, even if not everything clicked at 100%.
“You feel good and proud — if I feel like I’ve done the most I could and if I feel like I’ve performed at my best level. But still, the result is so important that there’s this underlying feeling of disappointment if you don’t get the result you wanted.
“So it’s tricky. And also the mood in the team, if you have a sort of target of a result, no matter how well you drove, if you didn’t get there, nobody is cheering.”
A results-driven business where your driving sometimes can’t have an overriding influence on the result. Tough gig.
La famosa “caguama” bien fría calma el calor de cualquiera y eso lo pudo constatar Valtteri Bottas quien se ganó el corazón de México
El calor en la pista del Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez el pasado domingo durante la carrera de la Fórmula 1 alcanzó temperaturas muy elevadas por lo que los pilotos sufrieron deshidratación, pero nadie como Valtteri Bottas para quitarse la sed en México.
Foto ESPECIAL
El piloto de Alfa Romeo publicó una historia en su Instagram donde festejó haber quedado dentro de los puntos en el GP de México acompañado de una “caguama”, una botella de más de un litro de cerveza mexicana que el finlandés no dejó escapar la oportunidad de probar y fue captado por su novia la ciclista Tiffany Cromwell.
La famosa “caguama” bien fría calma el calor de cualquiera y eso lo pudo constatar Valtteri Bottas quien de inmediato se ganó el corazón de la afición mexicana que ya lo adoptó como un hermano más.
Los comentarios en redes sociales son muy chistosos pues es una bebida de lo más popular en México y ver al piloto de Alfa Romeo con el producto en sus manos fue mágico para muchos mexicanos que disfrutan de “echarse sus caguamas” los fines de semana.
Parecía ser un día de fiesta para Mercedes, pero no fue así, la escudería alemana se destruyó en 30 minutos previo al GP de Italia
Valtteri Bottas fue el gran vencedor del Sprint del GP de Italia, sumó los tres puntos y parecería un día de fiesta para Mercedes, pero no fue así, la escudería alemana se destruyó en 30 minutos.
Todo parecía indicar que el Sprint en Monza sería puras alegrías para Mercedes, así había comenzado el fin de semana con la clasificación de sus dos pilotos en 1 y 2 para la prueba de hoy.
Pero en la largada, Hamilton perdió muchas posiciones y aunque lo intentó concluyó en quinta posición. Bottas aguantó toda la carrera el embate de Verstappen e incluso llegó a ponerse con dos segundos de ventaja del neerlandés pero de nada sirvió su esfuerzo, perdió la pole sancionado por cambiar elementos de su unidad de potencia y saldrá de último dejando al de Red Bull en el sitio de honor.
Checo Pérez finalizó noveno el sprint pero arrancará en octavo para el GP de Italia el día de mañana, la segunda línea de parrilla fue para Daniel Ricciardo y en tercer puesto irá Lando Norris.
Max Verstapen de 23 años consiguió este sábado su tercera pole position de la temporada y Checo Pérez saldrá cuarto en Estiria
Max Verstapen de 23 años consiguió este sábado su sexta pole position desde que participa en la máxima categoría, la tercera de su temporada y camina firme en busca de otra victoria que lo separe aún más de Hamilton que saldrá en segunda posición.
La segunda fila de la parrilla la formarán Lando Norris de McLaren y el mexicano Sergio Pérez de Red Bull que mejoró mucho con respecto de las prácticas del viernes donde finalizó en décimo tercera posición.
Sin embargo Checo se vio beneficiado de la penalización de Valtteri Bottas pues el piloto de Mercedes terminó segundo en la clasificación, pero por su incidente el día de ayer fue relegado hasta la quinta posición en la tercera fila de la parrilla.
Buena oportunidad para Red Bull de conseguir puntos importantes que agrande aún más su ventaja sobre Mercedes y por fin romper la hegemonía de la escudería alemana de siete títulos consecutivos.
Muchas emociones nos esperan en el Gran Premio de Estiria en Austria en casa de Red Bull y en una pista que comienzan a dominar a placer durante la temporada 2021 de la Fórmula 1.
Valtteri Bottas fue sancionado con tres posiciones en la parrilla de salida por un penoso incidente en el pitlane donde derrapó su auto
La lucha de Mercedes por remontar posiciones en la clasificación de constructores no se dará este fin de semana durante al Gran Premio de Estiria, pues de entrada su piloto Valtteri Bottas ya fue sancionado con tres posiciones en la parrilla de salida por un penoso incidente en el pitlane.
Bottas derrapó su monoplaza durante un cambio de neumáticos de rutina durante los segundos libres de la práctica de este viernes.
De milagro se las arregló para no estrellarse contra el muro de pits y no atropellar a ningún miembro del staff de McLaren, quienes incluso tuvieron que auxiliar al piloto de Mercedes para regresar al auto en su dirección original.
Michael (Massi, director de la FIA), eso es absolutamente ridículo”; “Podrían haber sacado a uno de los chicos [mecánicos] o el muro de pits“. declaró Paul James director del equipo McLaren.
Tras el incidente y la queja presentada por McLaren la FIA convocó a Bottas a una audiencia donde se le sancionó con tres posiciones en la parrilla, por conducción peligrosa en la línea de pits.
Red Bull agradece el incidente, pues de entrada con una buena quali, solo tendrán que preocuparse por el desempeño de Lewis Hamilton al frente de la parrilla y ya se vio que Checo y Verstappen comienzan a trabajar bien en equipo.
