Valtteri Bottas said he was uninjured after a high-speed crash at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The Cadillac driver left the track at Turn 1 on Lap 46 and struck the barriers rear-first after appearing to suffer a front-left suspension failure at the end of the main straight.
Bottas had started from the back following grid penalties for new power unit components. After an early pit stop, he had moved up to 17th when the crash ended his race.
“It was a big impact going into Turn 1, but thankfully I’m okay,” Bottas said. He thanked the medical team and others who assisted him, and said the team needed to examine the incident carefully and learn from it. Bottas was taken to the Medical Centre for precautionary checks and released.
Cadillac team principal Marcin Budkowski said the team was relieved Bottas was okay and would investigate the cause of the failure. He also acknowledged that the team had fallen short in its race execution and said there was work to do before the next race in Brazil.
The incident follows a suspension problem involving Cadillac teammate Sergio Perez in Canada, where the front-right corner of his car was affected. The report gave no indication that Bottas would be unable to race in Sao Paulo.
Sources: Formula 1.