FIA: Bottas' departure was within limits

The departure of Valtteri Bottas at the Austrian GP has been validated by the FIA. Despite the doubts expressed by the competition, the stewards decided not to sanction the driver Mercedes who made a “very slight movement” on the grid of the Red Bull Ring at Spielberg within the limits authorized by the system put in place to detect a stolen departure.

“The early departure system evaluates whether a car has moved between the red light and the lights going out, explains the FIA ​​press release. We found that we needed a very slight margin because drivers sometimes have to make adjustments to their clutch in preparation for the start. This system, which depends on the official timing provided to the F1, has been operational for two decades and has been able to demonstrate its reliability. »

“Valtteri did not exceed this limit before the start was given. He was able to anticipate the start in an exceptional manner with great precision. »

Valtteri Bottas came back to 15 points behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton who failed at the foot of the podium following his penalty.

Discover the analysis of the Austrian Grand Prix carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2122 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.