One F1 driver hit with a penalty he might never serve
Post-race penalty in Abu Dhabi dished out which might never be served
Valtteri Bottas has been handed a five-place grid penalty for his collision with Kevin Magnussen at the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - but he might never serve it.
Bottas was given a five-place grid penalty and three penalty points on his licence after the race at the Yas Marina Circuit.
The Finn locked up and crashed into the side of Magnussen – in what could be both drivers' last races in F1.
Given it could be Bottas’ final race in F1, the grid penalty he received might never be served.
It’s the same for 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button, who was handed a grid penalty in his final race for McLaren (Monaco, 2017).
Why was Bottas penalised?
The stewards felt Bottas “misjudged his braking significantly” before colliding with Magnussen at Turn 6.
The FIA noted: “Car 77 was on the inside of Car 20 on the approach to Turn 6, misjudged his braking significantly and collided with Car 20 which was entering the corner on the regular racing line.
“As Car 77 retired from the race, the stewards determine that a grid drop is warranted which is the equivalent of a drive-through penalty, and three penalty points are warranted due to the significant misjudgement of the driver.”
A disappointing end for Bottas
Bottas was in contention to finish in the top 10 in Abu Dhabi – and score his first points of the year.
The former Mercedes driver qualified ninth and fought hard on the opening lap.
However, his race was ruined after contact with Sergio Perez at Turn 6.
Bottas was given a 10-second time penalty for the incident with the Red Bull driver.
Reflecting on the race, Bottas said: "It's a shame, today really didn't go my way. It started with the incident with Checo, I was on the inside and he took a really tight line, which he's allowed to but I couldn't disappear anywhere, got a penalty for it. It's a real shame.
"I was trying to defend as hard as I could and with old tyres – and I think Kevin was just unlucky that he was where he was because I was just going straight [after locking up]."
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
