Formula 1 had a curious episode at the Miami GP, involving Valtteri Bottas and Cadillac. Bottas was penalized for speeding in the pit lane after a technical problem already known by the team.
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This penalty further compromised the Finn’s result, who finished only 18th, two laps behind. The case exposes challenges faced by the team in its early phase in the category.
Bottas received a drive-through after exceeding the 80 km/h limit by 9.5 km/h in the pit lane. According to him, the error occurred due to a failure in the steering wheel system: “I pressed the limiter button, but apparently not hard enough,” he said. He continued: “We still have a lack of feedback on some buttons, it is an area we are working on.”
The driver revealed that the problem is already known internally within the team and should be resolved soon: “It is a known issue, we just don’t have the new buttons yet. We expect that for the next race,” he said. He highlighted that this type of difficulty is common for a team starting out in F1.
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Despite modest results, Bottas showed understanding of the moment experienced. His best result so far is 13th place, and he emphasized that there is no frustration: “It’s not frustration, that’s what I accepted. I knew it would be tough times,” he added.
The team brought to Miami its first significant update package, including aerodynamic and mechanical changes, highlighting a new floor. Bottas evaluated the initial signs as positive for Cadillac: “There are many evolving areas. Sometimes the pace seems better, sometimes not, but I think the updates worked,” he concluded, projecting more progress in the next stages.
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