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Bottas doesn't think it's his fault I drove a constant speed

Bottas doesn't think it's his fault "I drove a constant speed"

15-09-2020 11:52
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GPblog.com

Valtteri Bottas was inadvertently the center of a very violent crash during the Tuscany Grand Prix. The Finn was allowed to set the pace after the safety car, but before he got on the gas, several drivers hit each other in midfield. Not his fault, says Bottas.

It looked serious. Carlos Sainz, among others, went full throttle while still driving quietly at the front. The Spaniard couldn't avoid his predecessor after the one in front of him hit the brakes again. It was a big accident and on top of that, there is a lot of talk about the question of guilt.

Not the fault of Bottas

The cars around the accident often pointed to Bottas as the culprit. The Finn would have gone on his throttle too often and then hit the brake again, while Bottas is allowed to determine the speed. At Motosport.com, the Mercedes driver once again states that it wasn't his fault and in turn puts the responsibility on the safety car.

"We have been allowed to race from the control line for a while now. The difference this year is that the safety car doesn't turn off its lights until very late, so you can't drop a hole until very late. I can't be blamed for that. Anyone can look for what they want, but I was driving at a constant speed." The Finn did go on the gas late: "Yes that was late but we're only racing from the control line again. The men behind us who crashed, they can look in the mirror. It's pointless to complain about this."

Guilt on policymakers

According to some drivers, such as Lewis Hamilton, the blame for the incident lies with the policymakers. According to both Hamilton and Bottas, the lights go out later this year because Formula 1 wants more spectacle. If that is the case, they have succeeded but perhaps not the spectacle they had in mind. By the way, race director Michael Masi strongly denies this and indicates that the safety of the drivers is paramount.