Breaking news
Formula 1 Monaco GP
Bottas: Verstappen "kept drifting to the right" in pitlane incident
Valtteri Bottas says Formula 1 rival Max Verstappen "kept drifting to the right" during their pitlane incident in the Monaco Grand Prix, which he feared had been ruined.
Scott Mitchell Stuart Codling
Published: May 27, 2019, 1:45 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Bottas was running second behind teammate Lewis Hamilton when the safety car was triggered early in the Monte Carlo race, and a slightly faster pitstop meant Red Bull released Verstappen into Bottas's path in the pitlane.
The two made contact and Bottas was forced to nudge the wall on his right-hand side, breaking his wheel and forcing him to make a second stop.
Read Also:
- Monaco GP: Hamilton wins despite tyre drama
- Hamilton planned to "crash or finish" in "hardest" race
- Verstappen was "really reserved" in Hamilton battle
He was able to make that under the safety car and only dropped to fourth behind Sebastian Vettel, which became third at the finish thanks to Verstappen getting a five-second penalty for the incident.
"That was the thing that made the race really more difficult," said Bottas. "We stopped the same time as Lewis, I made a gap between us before we stopped.
"For some reason our stop was a bit slow. Max got alongside me in the pitlane even though he was behind before. We were side-by-side, I kept my line and he kept drifting to the right.
"We touched and I also touched the wall because there was no more space. Honestly, I thought when I had had to stop again that I would go to the back of the grid but luckily I only lost one more place. Unlucky but lucky at the same time. It could have been a lot worse."
Verstappen said Red Bull "did everything right" at the pitstop and claimed he was not aware Bottas was next to him.
"I didn't know there was anyone next to me because they released me," he said. "I was just going, it was all getting a bit tight. We were ahead but it was a shame that we touched. I couldn't see him."
The stewards deemed Verstappen breached Article 28.13a of the sporting regulations, which states cars "must not be released from a garage or pit stop position in way that could endanger pit lane personnel or another driver".
Unlike Article 28.13d, which explicitly refers to a car "deemed to have been released in an unsafe condition" and demands a 10-second stop-go penalty, the rule Verstappen was determined to have breached does not carry a specific penalty.
Therefore, in accordance with recent precedent for the same offence, he was handed a five-second time penalty and two penalty points.
Asked by Motorsport.com if he felt that punishment was sufficient, Bottas said: "It's a tricky one because there is no way I could ever gain back the positions I lost, except at least Max's position with his penalty.
"But the position I lost to Sebastian there's no way I'd ever gain it back. He did his penalty, I think it's OK. There's not much to say more than that."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Sainz: Brave double pass was one of my best F1 starts
Next article Vettel says Ferrari's car not "as bad as it looks"
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Scott Mitchell
Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur
Formula 1
Formula 1
Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur
Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'
Formula 1
Formula 1
Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'
Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari
Formula 1
Formula 1
Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari
More from
Valtteri Bottas
Cadillac reveals date for F1 engine factory debut, thanks drivers for being “patient”
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Cadillac reveals date for F1 engine factory debut, thanks drivers for being “patient”
Cadillac’s F1 brakes are still a problem: ‘I had to lift and coast on lap two’
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Cadillac’s F1 brakes are still a problem: ‘I had to lift and coast on lap two’
You Ask The Questions: Valtteri Bottas
Formula 1
Canadian GP
You Ask The Questions: Valtteri Bottas
More from
Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli delivers Austin surprise pole in tricky Mercedes: "Finally we're seeing the results"
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
Kimi Antonelli delivers Austin surprise pole in tricky Mercedes: "Finally we're seeing the results"
F1 United States GP: Kimi Antonelli takes pole with George Russell sixth
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
3 h
F1 United States GP: Kimi Antonelli takes pole with George Russell sixth
Latest news
2026 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Indonesian GP
1 min
2026 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more
There will be even less drag in Cup cars at Talladega on Sunday
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
4 min
There will be even less drag in Cup cars at Talladega on Sunday
Kimi Antonelli delivers Austin surprise pole in tricky Mercedes: "Finally we're seeing the results"
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
Kimi Antonelli delivers Austin surprise pole in tricky Mercedes: "Finally we're seeing the results"
Why Ferrari failed to deliver on its hype in F1's United States GP qualifying
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
Why Ferrari failed to deliver on its hype in F1's United States GP qualifying
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe