Bottas and Räikkönen blame each other at the Russian GP

While Kimi Räikkönen and Valtteri Bottas were battling for third place on the final lap of the Russian GP, the two Finns hooked up when the pilot Ferrari tried to exceed the Williams from the inside. The FW37 remained behind while the 2007 world champion managed to reach the finish line in fifth place on a damaged SF15-T. The incident is under investigation by commissioners.

“It was part of the race in my opinion, but I am not a commissioner”, commented Kimi Räikkönen. “I couldn't go back when I chose to commit. I tried to pass him, as I had already done several times at this place. I don't know if he saw me or not, but he protected his position by going inside. I tried to stay to the side as much as possible, but I couldn't avoid the collision."

As for Valtteri Bottas, he assures that he was within his rights and that he did not see his compatriot arriving. “I don’t think it was a racing incident”, indicated the resident of the Grove team who had taken the last step of the podium during the first edition of the Russian GP. “I was in front and someone suddenly hit me. I should have been on the podium, but instead I ended up with zero points this weekend. »

The stewards handed Kimi Räikkönen a 30-second penalty following his contact with Valtteri Bottas, dropping him to eighth place behind Daniil Kvyat, Felipe Nasr and Pastor Maldonado.