Valtteri Bottas endured a tough United States Grand Prix that saw him finish down in sixteenth, after a first lap tangle with Nico Hülkenberg left him with a puncture and a damaged floor.
The Williams Martini Racing driver started eighth on the grid but found himself hit by the Sahara Force India Formula 1 Team racer at turn one as the two battled for position. The resulting clash gave Bottas a puncture that meant an early trip to the pits for repairs, but the time lost meant he was at the back of the field.
Bottas just made one more trip to the pits on Sunday, which meant he struggled with towards the end of the Grand Prix, resulting in him being passed by Sauber F1 Team racer Felipe Nasr and finishing just ahead of Manor Racing MRT’s Pascal Wehrlein.
“It was a very disappointing day today,” insisted Bottas. “I went into turn one on the inside and had a good line for the corner, but at the apex Hulkenberg touched me and I got a puncture. That also damaged the floor of the car and I lost a lot of downforce for the rest of the race.
“I’m happy there is another race coming quickly next week in Mexico to try and make up for this. The positive thing is that we narrowed the gap to Force India a bit, but we need to make sure that we score good points with both cars.”
