For his likely final race in F1, Valtteri Bottas received a five-place grid penalty as well as three points on his superlicense for hitting Kevin Magnussen during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
This incident occurred at the Yas Marina circuit, in the second half of the race. A very damaging collision for the two drivers who were competing in their last race in F1 this Sunday.
The Finn locked his brakes at the end of the straight and violently hit the Haas of Kevin Magnussen. Although Valtteri Bottas' sanction is in effect, rumors surrounding his future in F1 suggest that he may never serve this penalty, as it will only be applicable during the next race he competes in F1.
If he does not return to F1, Valtteri Bottas would then join Jenson Button who also has a penalty to serve if he returns to F1. The 2009 World Champion replaced Fernando Alonso at short notice during the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix. During the race, he threw Pascal Werhlein into the barriers at the porter's corner.
The stewards ruled that Valtteri Bottas had “significantly misjudged his braking” before colliding with Magnussen at Turn 6.
The FIA stated that: “Car 77 was inside Car 20 approaching Turn 6, misjudged its braking significantly and collided with Car 20 which was entering the turn on the normal racing line. ”
“As car 77 retired from the race, the stewards determined that a grid removal was warranted, amounting to a pass penalty, and that three penalty points were warranted due to the significant error of pilot's appreciation.”
Read also: Valtteri Bottas penalized on the starting grid of the Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix
His race was unfortunately marked by another collision with Sergio Pérez, which earned him a first 10-second penalty. Without this, Valtteri Bottas might have been able to score points for his final race with Sauber.
“It's a shame, the day really didn't go the way I wanted. It started with the incident with Checo, I was inside and he took a very tight line, which he has the right to do, but I couldn't disappear anywhere, I got a penalty for this. It's really a shame”, concluded the Finnish pilot.
