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Valtteri Bottas Sidelined from FP3 at European GP Due to Pit-Lane Drain Cover Incident
Bottas sidelined for FP3 due to pit-lane drain cover incident
A dislodged drain cover in the pit-lane caused damage that resulted in Valtteri Bottas being unable to take part in the last free practice session before the European Grand Prix in Baku.
The Finnish driver, who had secured a podium finish in the previous race, was returning to the pit-lane following an initial lap when his front wheel dislodged a drain cover. This cover then rebounded and struck the sidepod of the Williams FW38.
Ricocheting from the car towards the direction of the pit-wall marshals – fortunately, not hitting them -, Bottas drove into his pit stop where his crew assessed the damage and concluded it was severe enough to keep him out for the rest of the hour.
Before the qualifying round, this setback impacts Bottas negatively, especially after he demonstrated remarkable speed during Friday's practice session, with a standout top speed of 351km/h.
For the second time in just three races, an unsecured drain led to chaos when Nico Rosberg dislodged a broken manhole cover in Monaco, which was then hit by Jenson Button, who was closely trailing him.
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