Bottas Confident FIA Can Solve Tricky F1 Problem Which They 'Get S**t' For
F1Sunday, 12 November 2023 at 21:00
Updated at Sunday, 12 November 2023 at 22:38
Alfa Romeo F1 driver Valtteri Bottas shared his opinion on the track limit issues that have been haunting F1 during the 2023 season.
Track limits have been a problem during multiple races in the 2023 season, like the Austrian Grand Prix, Qatar Grand Prix, and United States Grand Prix, to name a few.
The problem often arises in qualifying sessions when drivers push to the limit and get across the wide line on the outside of the chicane by a marginal amount or when somebody performs an overtake outside of the white lines during the race.
Drivers will often take advantage of the tarmac outside of the white lines and overtake the driver in front of them to take a five-second penalty rather than get stuck behind for 10 seconds.
George Russell admitted to doing this with an overtake on Oscar Piastri during the 2023 United States Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas recently commented on this issue, as reported by RacingNews365:
"In some situations, if you're stuck behind a car for 10 laps, if you lose 10 seconds, you might take [the penalty]. It’s tricky, it's a rare situation but it can happen. It depends completely on the situation."
The Alfa Romeo driver thinks it is unfair for somebody to take advantage of rules like that, and situations like this should always be solved by giving the position back.
"If it's clear that you made the overtake because you went off the track limits, then you should give the position back."
Multiple F1 drivers said nobody would be running wide and taking advantage with overtakes outside of track limits if there was a gravel trap. Bottas thinks something like that would work.
"They were adding gravel in places and stuff like that, also what had been done at [Monza's] Parabolica, there used to be this strip of gravel. It just works."
Multiple drivers, F1 team principals, and other experts have voiced their opinions on how the track limit issues should be addressed. The Finn believes FIA is aware of the problem.
"I feel like they [the FIA] are starting to understand because it's also so much work for them as well, and they are getting s**t because of it."
Bottas believes there will be a change moving forward and concluded by saying: "I think they are taking it seriously."
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