Mexico City GP: Nov. 5-7, 2021

The situation with Ricciardo Bottas is a tough one to call. Some people might be looking for someone to blame, but honestly, I wouldn't hand out a penalty here. To me, it feels like a 50-50 split on the fault. Ricciardo could have probably braked a bit harder since he had a clear view of what was happening, but then again, I think Bottas took that corner just a little too aggressively and ended up clipping Ricciardo's front wing.

Raymond Anderson4 said:The whole situation involving Ricciardo Bottas is quite a dilemma, isn't it? Perhaps some might argue it warrants a penalty, yet I find myself hesitant to support one. In my estimation, the blame is split right down the middle at fifty-fifty. While one could suggest that Ricciardo ought to have braked a bit more decisively—given he had a clear view of the unfolding circumstances—I would also contend that Bottas was perhaps a touch too aggressive when cutting into the corner, ultimately colliding with Ricciardo's front wing.

It is rather curious, is it not, how at Monza you hold Max Verstappen responsible for the Verstappen-Hamilton collision, where they are practically driving side-by-side entering the turn, yet here, in a case where Ricciardo wasn't even remotely close to overtaking Bottas, you see no grounds for a penalty?


My intention here is not to engage in a debate regarding whether drivers should be penalized for collisions in general; rather, I am suggesting that if penalties for causing such incidents already exist within the regulations, then this specific instance certainly qualifies, especially considering the precedents that have been set before.

You could argue that Daniel Ricciardo should have backed off, but if you look at the image, Valtteri Bottas is on the left. As the frames progress, he drifts further and further to the right until they make contact.
I rewatched the footage today, rewinding it several times. Ricciardo was holding his line; there wasn't a single moment where he jerked the steering wheel in a way that caused the collision. He drove his line through the corner perfectly, and honestly, I don't see any issue with how Ricciardo handled that turn. In fact, at the exact moment of impact, half of his car was already on the curbing, which makes me think he actually gave plenty of room to Valtteri Bottas.
Just notice his steering—his wheels were already turned into the corner at that point, and Bottas wasn't even close yet.
In my opinion, this isn't worth a penalty. It’s just a racing incident.

Raymond Anderson4 said:In this specific scenario, one might be tempted to blame Daniel Ricciardo for failing to brake sooner, but if you look at the image, Valtteri Bottas is positioned to the left; however, as the frames progress, he drifts further and further to the right until contact occurs.
I spent some time reviewing the footage today, rewinding the sequence several times, and it seems to me that Daniel Ricciardo maintains his intended line without ever making an erratic steering input that would precipitate such a collision; he simply follows his trajectory through the corner, and I truly see no issue with the path Daniel Ricciardo took, especially since, at the exact moment of impact, half of his car is already on the curb, which leads me to believe he actually afforded Valtteri Bottas quite a bit of space.
If you observe his steering wheel, it is already turned into the corner at that precise moment, whereas Valtteri Bottas isn't even particularly close to him.
In my estimation, this doesn't warrant a penalty; it is nothing more than a racing incident.

Valtteri Bottas is already turning into the corner at the moment captured in this image, making his trajectory perfectly clear. Daniel Ricciardo simply has to adapt to that, given that he is trailing behind; one cannot expect a driver to force their way through when the car ahead has already committed to the turn. It appears Daniel Ricciardo assumed there would be sufficient room, but he was mistaken, and thus, it was a lapse in judgment on his part—his own fault.
This is the exact moment of contact:


What exactly is Daniel Ricciardo looking for here? 🤷
A penalty is absolutely warranted, plain and simple. 👎

Raymond Anderson4 said:Sure, you could blame Daniel Ricciardo for not braking earlier, but look at the shot—Bottas is on the left, yet as the frames progress, he drifts further right until they clip.
I rewatched the clip today, scrubbing through it a few times. Ricciardo holds his line perfectly—he doesn't twitch the wheel or do anything erratic that would cause a wreck. He just takes the corner, and honestly, at the moment of impact, half his car is already past the apex. If anything, he gave Bottas plenty of room.
Just watch his steering; he’s already turned into the corner, while Bottas isn't even close to him yet.
In my book, this isn't a penalty—it's just a racing incident.

Reminds me of the Max Verstappen-Kimi situation at Spa-Francorchamps a couple of years back.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...548327799.html

I figured that was a racing incident too. Kimi could have left more breathing room, but Max had nowhere else to go.

graniteharbor502 said:Valtteri Bottas is already turning into the corner right at the moment shown in this photo. His line is set. Ricciardo has to adapt to that since he's trailing behind. You can't just force your way into a path occupied by someone who has already committed to the turn ahead of you. Ricciardo likely thought there would be space, but he misjudged it. It was his call, and his mistake.
This is the exact point of contact:


What exactly is Ricciardo looking for here? 🤷
A penalty is absolutely warranted. 👎

What is he looking for? Why is staying on the racing line a crime? He moved to the right specifically to avoid hitting anyone, and in my view, he isn't forcing his way through at all. He isn't even close to an illegal overtake.
Also, we don't know anything about Bottas's speed. If he was slowing down significantly at the moment of impact, then he basically made himself an easy target.

wiredseal7 said:This feels remarkably similar to that Verstappen-Kimi situation at Spa-Francorchamps two years ago.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/v...548327799.html

I am inclined to believe that was also just a racing incident; could one not argue that Kimi might have conceded a bit more room, leaving Max with nowhere to go?

But isn't this equally Max's fault, even if we observe that Max was positioned significantly closer to Kimi than Ricciardo Bottas was in this instance?

Raymond Anderson4 said:What exactly is he looking for here? I mean, why would being on the racing line be considered an offense? He moved to the right specifically to avoid any potential contact, and in my estimation, he wasn't even attempting an aggressive overtake; he was nowhere near forcing his way past.
Furthermore, we simply don't have the data regarding Bottas's velocity at that specific moment, and if he happened to be traveling too slowly when the contact occurred, then perhaps the fault lies with him for making himself such an easy target.

But isn't it a fundamental rule of racing that if you find yourself positioned behind another driver, you bear the responsibility of not slamming into their rear end? It really is as simple as that. Ricciardo drove into the inside lane like a complete amateur and collided with Bottas. I fail to see what part of this remains unclear; they weren't side-by-side. Bottas had already begun his turn into the corner while Ricciardo was still in the middle of his braking phase.

Drew Bennett68 said:https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...-b1954133.html

Verstappen, however, thinks Wolff is just looking for an easy target by blaming his own driver. “You’re supposed to leave at least a car's width of space, or else he’d be facing a penalty,” the 24-year-old remarked. “I’m not quite sure what Toto is getting at. It’s pretty easy to just throw Valtteri under the bus, but I think that’s a bit of a cheap move.”

😍

Just look at how gentlemanly Max is being toward your precious golden boy!!!

Quite a change from how Lewis treats George, I suppose.

cosmicridge5 said:😍

Just look at how classy Max is being toward your precious little golden boy!!!

Way different from how Lewis treats Hamilton.

I bet he’s even more beloved now than he was after the race in Budapest. 🤣

Sam Clark75 said:I bet he’s feeling way better about things now than he did after the race in Austin. 🤣

Honestly, Mercedes' biggest mistake was not keeping Bottas on through the end of the season—just to give the guy some actual hope, I guess.

Seriously though, ever since they announced Russell, Valtteri just decided he’s going on permanent vacation. He’s totally checked out, and honestly, watching him constantly troll people on Instagram is just ridiculous.

Richard Walker38 said:Exactly. Ever since they announced Russell, Valtteri decided to go full "passive mode." He doesn't care about the championship anymore; he’s just out there trolling on Instagram.

A podium in Mexico isn't exactly "passive mode."

Roger Wright94 said:Mercedes in Mexico isn't exactly playing passive.

Oh, they are. Calling it "passive" is an understatement when it comes to helping Hamilton. 🙂
The second they announce Bottas is back in the mix, he’s basically sabotaging Lewis, not helping him...
Having Bottas qualify ahead of him doesn't help Lewis's image or his championship points...

And it definitely doesn't help when he starts trashing Lewis and Wolff later because Bottas wouldn't just let poor Lewis fly on those bald tires. Instead, he plays the slow moving obstacle, keeping Max and Perez safely tucked away behind him...
On top of that, during Max's races, he's practically letting him breeze right past without even trying to defend. Lately, Max is passing him easier than he passes Perez...

I’d call that passive-aggressive mode right there. That guy Valtteri is just wired that way—almost sneakily aggressive. Or, if you want me to be blunt, he’s just being a total jerk. XD

stormybadger8 said:Sure, let's call it "passive" when we're talking about helping Lewis Hamilton 🙂 ...

That's just how he writes.
PP is pure gold; looking at where things stand right now, it’s pretty obvious.
And get this—Toto will probably claim it was all for the good of the team (you know, those precious points).