Valtteri Bottas has been taken to hospital for precautionary checks after suffering from back pain during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix.
The Finnish driver qualified sixth for the race, but upon exiting the car was assisted by his team and was clearly in pain.
It’s believed he first felt the problem during Q2, but the injury was exacerbated after he appeared to run over a large bump on his final lap when he ran wide at the final corner.
“Valtteri has been down to the medical centre and he has been checked out,” Williams performance chief Rob Smedley explained.
“He has gone to the hospital for further checks and that’s all we know at the minute.”
Speaking immediately after, Bottas said he was happy with sixth considering the problem.
“Unfortunately towards the end of Q2 I started to feel a pain in my back,” he said. “Under the circumstances I’m happy with sixth place, but as Felipe proved, this is not a true indication of our pace.
“Given the back complaint I had during the session, the team and I felt it sensible to get me checked out at the local hospital and we await their diagnosis.”
It’s not yet clear if it will stop him from racing in Sunday’s grand prix. A final decision will be made on Sunday morning.
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