Lauda blasts Baku track team after Bottas puncture

Lauda blasts Baku track team after Bottas puncture

Paul Macdonald

Sunday 29 April 2018 16:23

An incensed Nikki Lauda has blasted the track team at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for not sufficiently clearing the track after a number of incidents, which led to a puncture for Mercedes race leader Valtteri Bottas and his exit from the race.

In an action-packed event in Baku, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen both eliminated each other from the race, while Sebastian Grosjean spun out while the safety car was in operation, leading to an extended period behind the safety car until the end of the 51 laps.

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When the race restarted, an error from Sebastian Vettel allowed Valtteri Bottas to go in front with just four laps remaining, but disaster struck when the Finns' tyre hit a piece of debris remaining on the track and caused a puncture, ending his race.

Lewis Hamilton, who had barely been in the race prior to that moment, went through to win almost by default, and Lauda admitted that his feelings - with Bottas exiting but Hamilton winning - were mixed, but made it clear that he was not happy with the track not being cleared effectively.

He said: "Good and bad. Why didn't they clean up the track properly? They had plenty of time to do it and therefore Bottas had a disaster, but Lewis, really good."

"You could have seen it. The safety car was out, why did nobody pick it up? He [Bottas] did everything perfect. Lewis did a good job too, thank God. One lost, the other one won."

Hamilton's unexpected victory puts him ahead of the standings, with Sebastian Vettel down to second.