Bottas penalized after crash in Melbourne

Valtteri Bottas did not secure a good position for the Australian GP. As he began his first flying lap in Q3, the driver Mercedes lost control of his W09 at the exit of the first turn when he ran a wheel through the grass. His spin ended in violent contact with the tire wall.

W @LewisHamilton stormed to pole in Melbourne, things didn't quite go to plan for his @MercedesAMGF1 teammate… #AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/7V8jZapP6b

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 24, 2018

If the Finn seemed unharmed despite the shock, his car suffered quite a bit from going off the track. Mercedes had no choice but to replace the gearbox, resulting in a five-place grid penalty. Bottas will start from 15th position between Esteban Ocon (Force India) and Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso).

“I think I just pushed a little too hard, recognized Valtteri Bottas. I went wide in the first corner and the curb was still a little wet. I lost the rear of the car and hit the wall at the exit of turn 2. It's very unfortunate and I feel sorry for the team because we had a good car. It seems to be quite damaged and I really hope we can repair it for the race. »

“It's difficult to overtake on this circuit, but we will try to do our best, promised the Finn. It might be a little simpler this year with the new DRS zone. We will see that tomorrow. The positive of the day is that the car feels really fast when it's in the right performance window. »

Lewis Hamilton proved it by winning pole in Melbourne and setting the new lap record.