Bottas: "I’m not at all to blame" for horrific Mugello crash
Bottas: "I’m not at all to blame" for horrific Mugello crash
Valtteri Bottas is adamant he was "not at all to blame" for the horrific crash at the safety car restart that caused four retirements at the Tuscan Grand Prix.
At the end of a seven-lap safety car period following a lap-one incident that led to Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly crashing out, Bottas held the pack at a slow pace up to the control line in a bid to negate the threat of a slipstream from Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Bottas' actions are permitted within the regulations as drivers are only prohibited from speeding up and slowing down in an erratic manner behind the safety car.
However, numerous drivers in the middle to the back of the pack saw the green flags and light panels and returned to racing speeds before Bottas, serving as the de facto safety car, had cleared the field to do so.
It led to a pile up that resulted in Carlos Sainz, Antonio Giovinazzi, Nicholas Latifi and Kevin Magnussen all crashing out.
Explaining the restart procedure, Bottas explained: “So we’re allowed to race from the control line, which has been there for a while.
"Just the difference this year has been the safety car - they are putting the lights off quite late so you can only build the gap pretty late on.
"So of course when you are in the lead you try to maximise your chances and I’m not at all to blame for that.
“Everyone can look at everything they want for it. I was doing consistent speed until I went. Yes, I went late, but we start racing from the control line, not before that.
“So the guys who crashed behind because of that, they can look in the mirror. There is no point whining about it."
Bottas does, however, believe the restart procedure needs to be reviewed by those in power, claiming too much focus is being put on improving the show.
He added: “FIA, FOM…I don’t know who decides what happens with the safety cars but they’re trying to make the show better by turning the lights off later so we can’t build the gap early and then go like a corner before the main straight.
“Maybe it’s time to think if that is right and safe to do so.”
Before you go...
"I was driving my heart out" - Disconsolate Russell misses out on first points
Hamilton in a daze after "three races in one day" at Tuscan Grand Prix
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
McLaren leading fight for HUGE cash injection
- 34 minutes ago
Newey set to announce STUNNING Red Bull departure
- Today 17:57
Newey Red Bull exit wish CONFIRMED as F1 guru's reasons revealed
- 1 hour ago
F1 legend reveals 'FLOOD' of death threats after controversial decision
- 2 hours ago
Adrian Newey: The life and career of Red Bull's departing genius
- 2 hours ago
Sky Sports F1 pundit dumbfounded by key Ferrari decision
- 3 hours ago
- 2
Related news
Incredible statistic puts Verstappen AHEAD of Hamilton record
Fierce rival calls Hamilton F1's GOAT in surprise admission
Mercedes star tipped to replace struggling driver THIS season
Hamilton sends strong message over Gaza deaths
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