Is Bottas to Blame for Alonso-Vettel F1 Blocking Incident at Austrian GP?

One of the biggest talking points in today’s qualifying session was the incident involving Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. During the Spaniard’s flying lap in the dying moments of Q2, Vettel impeded him at Turn 10, which ended his hopes of progressing to Q3.

While the stewards decided to investigate the incident after the session, Vettel apologised to an irate Alonso. However, the stewards now suspect Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas may have played a role in the whole incident.

FIA investigate Bottas’ role in Sebastian Vettel-Fernando Alonso incident

Despite an impressive performance in Q1, Alonso couldn’t get past Q2. Although his second flying lap looked good, Vettel’s presence at Turn 10 jeopardized his lap. Despite Vettel’s apology on track, the Spaniard waved angrily at him and looked extremely angry after the session.

READ MORE: Austrian GP Qualifying F1 Report: Verstappen Beats Hamilton to Pole as Alonso Fumes at Vettel

However, during the incident, Bottas was ahead of Vettel. While Alonso was on his flying lap, Vettel was preparing for one of his own, just like Bottas in front of him. In addition to that, it looked like information about Alonso wasn’t passed on to Vettel, which contributed to the incident. As the stewards investigate the incident, they summoned the Finn after today’s qualifying session.

The stewards believe he drove slowly during the incident, which might have caused it altogether. Although there were multiple drivers ahead of Alonso, it seems Bottas could be in trouble yet again in Austria.

Could Bottas’ fortunes go from bad to worse ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix?

Last weekend at the Styrian Grand Prix, the FIA slapped a three-place grid penalty on the Finn for spinning in the pit lane during free practice. While the stewards are yet to decide who is to blame for today’s incident, Bottas faces the possibility of taking another penalty in Spielberg.

In addition, his P5 in qualifying today won’t do him any favors, should he get another penalty from the stewards. Despite his excellent record in Austria, it seems the Finn’s season is slipping out of control.

Amidst this chaos, the 31-year-old needs an excellent result in tomorrow’s race. With Lewis Hamilton extending his contract with Mercedes until 2023 and George Russell putting in an impressive performance to qualify P9 in Williams, Bottas needs a strong end to his Austrian Grand Prix weekend.

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