It’s not what could be described as a great start for the Finnish driver at the Las Vegas GP: Valtteri Bottas will be penalized during the third race on American soil.
During the first practice session of the Las Vegas GP, a penalty was officially announced by the FIA’s new race director against the driver of car number 77, Valtteri Bottas. He will start five positions further back than the place he qualifies for, with qualifying set to take place in the early hours of Saturday, November 23, Italian time.
On the C44 of the former Mercedes, in fact, at the dawn of the weekend in Sin City, the fourth energy storage battery (ES) was installed, causing the team to exceed the limit of components allowed for the season, which is usually set at two. The breach of the sporting regulations, therefore, has resulted in the grid penalty that Valtteri Bottas will have to serve during the race.
The penalty only deepens the struggles of the Hinwil team, which is currently in last place in the Constructors’ Championship with no points scored. The situation is naturally also negative for Valtteri Bottas, who will be reaching the end of his journey with the Swiss team at the conclusion of this year’s Formula 1 season, with only two races remaining, excluding the ongoing Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Finnish driver, along with his teammate Zhou Guanyu, will be leaving Sauber (which will become Audi from 2026) to make way for rookie Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg.
Photos: Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber.
