Ferrari chief sorry for Bottas 'butler' comment
Ferrari chief sorry for Bottas 'butler' comment
Maurizio Arrivabene has revealed he apologised to Valtteri Bottas after likening the Mercedes driver to a butler after the Italian Grand Prix. Bottas assisted Lewis Hamilton's victory at Monza after Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel's punchy start had seen the German lose out.
Bottas has twice been given team orders this season, told to stand down from attacking Hamilton in Germany before his strategy was altered to assist Hamilton in Italy as the Finn backed Raikkonen into his team-mate, shredding his countryman's tyres in the process.
When Arrivabene was asked why Ferrari had not given similar orders to Raikkonen to boost Vettel's title chances, the Ferrari boss said he "hired drivers, not butlers" a clearly pointed message towards Bottas.
With Hamilton having moved 30 points clear of Vettel in the drivers' standings, Arrivabene says his comment came in the heat of the moment, claiming Bottas had understood his motives.
"As soon as I said it in the heat of the battle, I knew it would create controversy," Arrivabene told Autosprint.
"Since then I have exchanged messages with Valtteri Bottas. I wanted to apologise to him and understand what I meant.
"It had slipped out but it's not a label I want to use for Bottas. I appreciate his response very much that he understood."
Arrivabene stood by Ferrari's decision not to favour Vettel in their home race, despite it opening the door for Hamilton to win and extend his championship lead.
"I just instructed them to not do anything stupid," Arrivabene added. "It was said that Kimi did something unfavourable to Sebastian, but what should he have done?
"What he did is exactly what Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel would have done.
"It is completely wrong to point the finger when there are still so many races to go.
"I answer for the whole team, so it doesn't matter who made a mistake – the driver or the team. Someone must answer, and this person is me."
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Newey Red Bull EXIT date revealed as F1 star confirmed at new team - GPFans F1 Recap
- 2 hours ago
Verstappen takes F1 swipe at Hamilton and rivals with ruthless remark
- 3 hours ago
Marko defends Ricciardo in 'unbelievable' idiot claim
- Yesterday 21:57
Hamilton hints at sensational Newey arrival at Ferrari
- Yesterday 20:57
Suspended Red Bull employee 'grilled' as Horner saga given potential END DATE
- Yesterday 19:57
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
- Yesterday 18:58
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860