Bottas claims he was 'screwed over' by McLaren after pit lane penalty

Valtteri Bottas spins in the pitlane in practice for the Styrian GP — Photo: © LAT Images

Styrian Grand Prix

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Bottas claims he was 'screwed over' by McLaren after pit lane penalty

Mercedes driver was handed three-place grid drop

Ian Parkes

Saturday 26 June 2021 16:54

Valtteri Bottas has accused F1 of being a sport in which someone is "always trying to screw you over", pointing an accusing finger at McLaren in the wake of his pit lane penalty for the Styrian Grand Prix.

Mercedes driver Bottas will start the race from fifth on the grid after qualifying second behind championship leader Max Verstappen in his Red Bull.

Bottas was punished by the stewards on Friday following second practice during which he spun his W12 as he attempted to pull out of his pit box in second gear, almost colliding with the pit wall.

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Although Bottas was helped by mechanics from McLaren, team manager Paul James immediately radioed in to FIA race director Michael Masi and declared what the Finn had done was "absolutely ridiculous".

Asked for his thoughts on his penalty, Bottas said: "My personal view, it's quite harsh. I never imagined there would be a penalty."

Referencing McLaren, Bottas added: "But, of course, other teams, when they see the opportunity, they complain it's dangerous etcetera so that we would get penalised.

"That's how it goes. Everyone is always trying to screw you over in this sport."

With additional reflection, Bottas said: "Yes, it can be a dangerous situation if there are many people in the pitlane."

Explaining what unfolded with the incident, Bottas said: "It definitely caught me out. I never imagined that would happen in the pitlane.

"We decided to try something different, launch with the second gear because sometimes with a higher gear you have lower revs and maybe you can manage the wheelspin, or the initial part is not so aggressive.

"But then once I got the wheelspin it really caught me out, and I don't know, perhaps the line on the pitlane was still slightly damp from the drizzle [but] I just couldn't hold it.

"Obviously quite a different behaviour with the second gear than the first gear."