Bottas gets three-place grid penalty for 'dangerous' F1 pitlane spin

Bottas spun his Mercedes in the pitlane as he left his pit box to start a race simulation on a fresh set of hard tyres with 20 minutes remaining in FP2.

As he laid runner down exiting his box, the Finn lost control of his W12 and was pitched into a bizarre sideways spin that left him broadside in front of the McLaren garage.

Bottas managed to avoid the pit wall and team personnel standing before he was assisted by members of McLaren’s pit crew.

Race control announced an investigation into the incident, and Bottas was hit with a three-place grid drop for Sunday’s race due to “potentially dangerous driving in the pitlane”. Bottas has also received two penalty points on his licence. 

“When [Bottas] pulled away from his designated pit stop position, he lost control of the car when he turned into the fast lane. He oversteered, spun and came to a stop across the fast lane near the McLaren pits," the stewards noted. 

“During the hearing [Bottas] stated that in the past they have been losing time in the pit departure. So they tried something new, which was to leave in second gear.

"As a result, the wheel spin was much higher and the result unexpected. Therefore he didn’t manage to control the car properly into the fast lane. This has to be considered as potentially dangerous driving, especially as personnel were around in the pit lane.”

Here's another look at FP2's big talking point, Valtteri Bottas' spin in the the pit lane#StyrianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Hc2jZ4DIWx

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 25, 2021

Speaking about the incident, Bottas explained: “I spun, we tried something different getting out from the box.

“That was just some variables to what we normally do with the wheel spin, so that’s why I spun.”

Prior to his trip to see the stewards, Bottas said he “would be surprised” if any action was taken.

“It’s a normal mistake, it happens,” he added. “I’m sure they just want to understand what happened really.”

McLaren team manager Paul James immediately reported the incident to FIA race director Michael Masi, saying: “Michael, that’s absolutely ridiculous. He could have taken our guys out there, and on the pit wall.”

Masi responded: “Agree, thank you.”

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl described Bottas’ spin as a “scary moment” for his crew, but played the incident down.

“Obviously a scary moment, but in the end it can happen,” he told Sky Sports F1.

“So in the end, all we could do was help Valtteri to find the right direction again with his car by pushing him backward and forwards.

“It’s not really something you need to talk to your drivers [about]. They all know about the people in the pitlane, and that it’s always important to be safety first and take it cautiously when you exit the pits.

“I don’t know exactly what happened but it can happen and thank God nothing happened. Let’s all move on from it.”