Bottas penalized by five places on the starting grid

Hard blow for Valtteri Bottas. The pilot Mercedes is obliged to change gearboxes for the remainder of the Japanese Grand Prix, contested on the Suzuka circuit. The regulation of the Formula 1 stipulates that any gearbox replaced before reaching the quota of six consecutive races must be sanctioned by five additional places on the starting grid. This applies to the Finn, who will be demoted after qualifying on Saturday.

Bottas finished fifth in the first phase of free practice, and did not complete a flying lap in the following session. “My stint on the soft tires was satisfactory, but with the super softs, I saw almost no difference in terms of grip. We will have to understand the performance of these tires for the rest of the weekend”, explains the wearer of number 77.

This penalty comes as Bottas tries to get out of a delicate period. Despite a recent podium finish in Singapore (3rd), the former driver Williams is relegated by his teammate Lewis Hamilton, both in timed lap and race pace. Toto wolff, the executive director of the stable at the star, explained this drop in pace by a very narrow window of use for the single-seater.