Bottas not sanctioned for false start: explanations from the FIA

Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) lost big at the start of the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix. The Finn was disturbed by the display of his steering wheel shortly before the red lights went out and lost many places in this story.

But the first winner of the season could also have received a penalty for early departure, which was not the case. However, on the images from the on-board camera, we see the car move forward slightly before actual flight.

Not the start that Valtteri Bottas was looking for

Michael Masi, FIA Race Director, said the movement was within the tolerance of the sensors and systems used to determine a jump start

But Bottas ended up losing several places in the run to Turn 1#HungarianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/kUhGbnb7Xf

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 19, 2020

For Michael Masi, F1 Race Director for the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), this is linked to the detection system placed on the tarmac of F1 circuits. “ How a false start is determined is in fact clearly detailed in the sporting regulations and has been the same process for a number of years, i.e. the transponder fitted to each car is the reference mechanism . »

There is a sensor on the track. And there is a margin of tolerance allowed. » It is this tolerance that saved Valtteri Bottas. This resolution is identical to the incident of Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) at the start of the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix.

Valtteri Bottas is not his first attempt. In 2017, he was accused of stealing the start in Austria. At the time, the FIA ​​had already seen fit not to penalize him because of this famous margin. 

Discover the full report and analysis of the Hungarian Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondent in Budapest, in AUTO issue 2270hebdo, available from Monday in digital version and from this Wednesday on newsstands.