Valtteri Bottas has been handed a five-place grid penalty for the British Grand Prix following an unscheduled gearbox change this week. The penalty is a result of the gearbox failing to complete six consecutive events as it is supposed to.
Valtteri Bottas slapped with grid penalty for the British Grand Prix
This is the second time in 2017 that Mercedes has fallen victim to a gearbox penalty in the past week, with Lewis Hamilton being slapped with a gearbox penalty last time out at the Austrian Grand Prix. This resulted in Hamilton starting in eighth place instead of third, and finishing outside of the podium positions in fourth.
Due to this penalty, even if Bottas secures pole, the highest position that he will start from is sixth place. This will be frustrating for the Finn due to his strong display of performance in first and second practice at Silverstone, where he topped both sessions. Bottas was also carrying momentum for the British Grand Prix having won at the Red Bull Ring last time out. While it looked like the Finn could be closing in on the championship fight between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, this penalty will halt his progress in the standings.
Bottas currently lies in third place in the Drivers’ Championship, 35 points behind Sebastian Vettel who currently leads and is only 15 points behind Lewis Hamilton.
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