Bottas released from medical centre after hefty Mexico crash

Mercedes has confirmed that Valtteri Bottas has been checked and cleared by the medical centre staff in Mexico following a big crash at the end of qualifying at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Bottas crashed out at the final Peraltada corner in the closing stages of Q3, running wide and hitting the wall before his car travelled along the length of the wall and into the TecPro barrier that was jutting out.

The incident left his car with damage to the front, and while the Finn reported that he was OK over team radio after the crash, he could be heard trying to catch his breath.

The medical car was deployed to collect Bottas and take him to the medical centre after the crash was recorded at 17 G, triggering the FIA's mandatory check system.

Mercedes confirmed soon after the crash that Bottas had been checked over and cleared by the medical staff in Mexico, and would be returning to the paddock.

UPDATE: He’s OK! @ValtteriBottas has been seen at the Medical Centre and has returned to the Paddock. Great news! #MexicoGP #VB77 pic.twitter.com/39BCXsbOZ3

— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) October 26, 2019

Bottas lost his final attempt to improve his time in Q3 as a result of the crash, leaving him a provisional sixth on the grid, but Mercedes confirmed his car required significant repairs ahead of the race on Sunday.

"The car is extensively damaged," a spokesman said. "We are assessing exactly what work needs to be completed for it to be ready to race."

Should Bottas be outscored by Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton by 14 points on Sunday, he would lose his slim hopes of winning a maiden F1 world title this year.