Source: Mercedes-Benz Archive

F1 News

Bottas gets time-penalty for hitting Sirotkin

Bottas gets time-penalty for hitting Sirotkin

26-08-2018 19:10
Author profile picture

Nicolás Quarles van Ufford

Valtteri Bottas has been retroactively hit with a five-second time penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix, as the Finn hit the back of Sergey Sirotkin's Williams early-on in the race.

The Finn did a lot of damage to his own car in doing so, as he needed a new nose immediately. He pitted early, but fought back hard and managed to finish fourth, which is quite the achievement. His five-second penalty means he won't drop any places, as he was well clear as fifth-placed Sergio Pérez.

Bottas also got two penalty points on his racing licence to add to his current total of four. At twelve points, you automatically get suspended for a race, which means the Finn is now halfway there.

Unlike Nico Hülkenberg, Bottas won't be penalized for next week's race in Italy, which means he'll be able to compete at the top of the grid from the start onwards at Monza.