Honda surprised at not seeing Bottas penalized
During a Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that turns into chaos, an element may have escaped the race marshals. This incident is the deliberate slowing down of Bottas in front of Verstappen, all this while a safety car was out. Red Bull's engine supplier, Honda, has not forgotten this.
The Jeddah circuit brought a lot of spectacle, but while many were focused on the battle between Hamilton and Verstappen, a potential incident by Bottas went unnoticed.
Indeed, during the very first Safety Car period, Lewis stopped at the pit lane just like Bottas, but before stopping, the Finn deliberately slowed down while Verstappen was right behind. An incident that was noticed by Honda’s F1 manager, Masashi Yamamoto.
« If you look at it objectively and take into account the fact that it’s the first time this track is being driven, you can say that Bottas left a lot of space for Lewis during the first safety car. I think this kind of thing should also be discussed and possibly penalized, explains Masashi Yamamoto to Motorsport.com.
A troubling element, but one that was not investigated by the FIA. Red Bull’s engine supplier then expressed his disappointment at the race result, especially with Pérez’s car unable to finish.
« For me personally, it was a very frustrating race, but we are tied and Max is still slightly ahead in terms of wins. I am sure we will be back on the podium in the next race. We will give it our all so we don’t blame ourselves,” Yamamoto concluded.
The championship finale takes place in Abu Dhabi in less than a week, with a potential new winner of the F1 World Championship, Max Verstappen, or an historic eighth title for Lewis Hamilton.
