Valtteri Bottas suffered a race-ending crash at the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but he believes it wasn't a driving error. The Cadillac driver pointed to the 2026 power unit systems getting "a bit confused".
The incident occurred on the penultimate lap at Turn 15 last Saturday. Bottas's car hit the barrier, triggering yellow flags that nearly altered the race outcome. Though initially appearing as a clumsy mistake by the experienced driver, Bottas revealed a technical quirk.
Loss of Rear Brakes
Bottas explained that he ran wide at Turn 1 on the same lap, which he thinks confused the Cadillac's power unit systems about the remaining distance. This led to a "huge superclip" into Turn 15, drastically reducing braking capability.
"First of all, on the same lap I had a lockup into Turn 1, I went wide," he said. "Then I think the systems got a bit confused because of the extra distance. I had a huge superclip into Turn 15 and then, when I hit the brakes, only the front brakes worked. It felt like I lost the rear while harvesting."
He added that the team needs to investigate what happened. "We need to have a look at what happened, but it was an odd one because it felt like I lost the rear brakes," he added.
Impact of Yellow Flags
The yellow flags waved in the crash area almost proved costly for Mercedes' George Russell. He suffered turbolag coming out of the corner after slowing for the caution. This allowed Red Bull's Max Verstappen to pressure him all the way to the finish line, with just 0.1s separating them.
The two drivers finished closely, but Bottas's incident was a focal point due to its potential to change the podium. Bottas himself had to accept the bitter reality of failing to finish in Baku.
Cadillac, newly entered in F1, is still adapting to the complex 2026 power unit regulations. This event serves as a valuable lesson for the American team.
Baca Juga
George Russell dominasi GP Azerbaijan, menang dan pole. James Hinchcliffe bertanya apakah Russell telah 'memecahkan kode' performa Mercedes. Simak analisisnya.
Valtteri Bottas mengungkap penyebab crash di F1 Azerbaijan 2026 akibat sistem power unit Cadillac bingung. Insiden hampir ubah hasil balapan.
Valtteri Bottas tertinggal jauh dari Sergio Perez di GP Azerbaijan. Simak penyebab dan analisis performa Cadillac di Baku.
Lanjutkan dengan Google
Diskusi & Komentar (0)
Mari Bergabung dalam Diskusi!
Masuk dengan mudah untuk mulai memberikan komentar, membalas, dan berinteraksi dengan pembaca lainnya.
Komentar Terbaru
Belum ada komentar. Jadilah yang pertama!