F1 News
Engine problems for Bottas, gets old Mercedes engine for qualifying
On Friday, Mercedes looked set for a dominant weekend, but on Saturday the team tumbled from one problem to another. It started with the third free practice session itself, in which Lewis Hamilton was beaten by Max Verstappen, but it didn't stop there.
Engine problems for Bottas
Shortly after the third free practice, Hamilton was called to the stewards for ignoring yellow flags and holding up Nikita Mazepin during the third free practice. The British driver is facing a grid penalty for this. Bottas was also in trouble after the free practice. The team found a fuel leak in the Finn's engine which means he will have an old Mercedes engine for the qualifying session.
UPDATE: We had a fuel leak on Valtteri's Power Unit at the end of FP3.
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 4, 2021
Without sufficient time to diagnose and resolve the leak, we are swapping the PU for another unit from the pool. pic.twitter.com/DET92DoPWT
