P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The Finn’s race was ruined after a slow pit-stop thanks to a wheel nut issue at his second pit-stop.
Valtteri Bottas attributes his “second worst pit-stop in history” at the Bahrain Grand Prix to a cross-threaded wheel nut issue, causing nearly a minute delay. During the incident, Bottas was stuck in the pit-box as the team worked to resolve the front-left wheel nut problem. The Finnish driver referenced his unfortunate past pit-stop experiences, including the 2021 Monaco Grand Prix and the incident at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix when George Russell’s tires were mistakenly placed on his car. Bottas expressed disappointment over the slow pit-stop impacting his race, which also saw him involved in a collision at Turn 1, resulting in a broken front-wing end-plate. Despite the challenges, Bottas remains focused on understanding the issue and ensuring it does not reoccur in future races. Mercedes faced difficulties in removing the stubborn wheel nut, eventually accomplishing it two days later at their Brackley base, solidifying Bottas’ record for the slowest pit-stop in F1 history.
