Valtteri Bottas had reason to celebrate before even turning a wheel in anger in Melbourne, as his return to Formula 1 officially approaches.
The Finn is making his comeback with newbies Cadillac, after a year as Mercedes reserve driver, having lost his seat with Sauber at the end of 2024.
And his final Grand Prix was thought to have rendered his first race back a little problematic.
In Abu Dhabi on that occasion, an on-track shunt with Kevin Magnussen saw him handed a five-place grid penalty for the next Grand Prix he would compete in.
But, a rewrite of Article B2.5.4[b] in the sporting regulations has given the popular veteran a reprieve.
“Classified drivers who have 15 or less cumulative unserved grid penalties for the Race imposed in the previous twelve [12] months will be allocated a temporary grid position equal to their Qualifying session classification plus the sum of their unserved grid penalties,” the regulation reads.
This means that Bottas’ penalty, the subject of gentle, good-natured ribbing, will now not have to be served.
“It gets even better – I’ve got some good news for you.
“You know my five-place grid penalty? It’s gone. With the new regulations, it’s vanished. Happy days!”
Taking to his Instagram, Bottas delivered the pleasant surprise personally:
When speaking to media including Motorsport Week at Albert Park on Thursday, Bottas was asked about the penalty and confirmed the news again.
“Do you don’t follow me on Instagram? I just did an announcement 20 minutes ago,” he said.
“Apparently it’s vanished.
“Yeah, thanks to some new regulation. So no grid penalty. It is good.”
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