Austrian GP: Why is Bottas’s departure causing controversy?
Valtteri Bottas' start at the Austrian Grand Prix sparks controversy. The Finn described his launch as the "start of his life," while Sebastian Vettel is convinced that his rival took off before the lights went out. The FIA has validated the Mercedes driver's move, but doubts linger.
The start of the Austrian Grand Prix was eventful. Notably on the front row, where Valtteri Bottas’s movement at the lights out cast doubt on everyone, especially Sebastian Vettel.
After the stewards’ investigations, the Finnish driver’s start was not deemed contentious. However, the Ferrari driver remains convinced that the Mercedes jumped the start.
In several replays published after the race, it is indeed noticeable that Bottas had a slight movement before the red lights went out, but for the FIA, this movement is not reprehensible as stated in a press release after the Grand Prix: « The start movement detection system begins to determine if a car has moved a pre-established (very small) distance between the moment the last red light comes on and the moment the lights go out. We have found that this requires a tolerance for very slight movement, as drivers sometimes need to make clutch adjustments in preparation for the start. This system, which relies on the official timing provided by Formula 1, has been in service for about twenty years and has proven to be extremely reliable since. In today’s case, Valtteri Bottas did not exceed this (very small) limit before the start. Simply put, he made an extremely fortunate decision by anticipating the lights going out with great precision. Any movement before the lights went out was within the permitted tolerance threshold. »
The explanation from the FIA didn’t really convince Sebastian Vettel, who was calling for a penalty for Bottas during the race: “I’m almost sure he jumped the start,” the German said on the podium, before slightly moderating his remarks during the press conference: “From my point of view, he jumped the start… obviously, I was sure he did. That’s what it seemed like from inside the car, but in the end, it’s not up to me to judge that, so I was probably a bit late.”
Several perspectives clash regarding this start, whether it was stolen or not by Valtteri Bottas, but the FIA has decided not to penalize the Finn, allowing him to retain his Austrian victory.
How is this not a jump start? #F1Austria @ScuderiaFerrari @F1 #Bottas pic.twitter.com/ibrtvIZCIE
— Matthew Mawer (@MatthewMawer) 9 juillet 2017
