Valtteri Bottas has been handed a three-place grid penalty, dropping him to the back of the field for Saturday’s Formula
The Sauber driver, who qualified 18th, was surprised by Piastri’s McLaren at Turn 1 of the Miami International Autodrome during SQ1. Bottas managed to avoid significant damage by closing the door on the papaya car at the last moment. The Stewards ruled that the incident stemmed from Car 77 driving slowly on the racing line. Bottas expressed frustration over the incident, calling it “too late.” Sauber was also implicated by the Stewards as contributing significantly to the incident. Bottas faces uncertainty for next year with Sauber’s impending transformation under Audi’s ownership. The Finn’s struggles with a new engineer and ongoing challenges at Sauber highlight the urgency to showcase his potential in a competitive driver market.
