Bottas avoids penalty after crowded Dutch GP Sprint grid incident — F1 Reporter
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Bottas avoids penalty after crowded Dutch GP Sprint grid incident
Valtteri Bottas received no penalty after stopping before Safety Car Line 1 while approaching the grid for the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix Sprint. Although the FIA stewards found a breach of the Race Director’s instructions, they concluded that the end of the grid was extremely crowded and that the Cadillac driver had stopped safely as close to the grid as possible.
The incident occurred at 11:32 on 22 August. Bottas’s Car 77 did not reach the grid under its own power, contrary to Article 12.2.1.i of the International Sporting Code and item 24 of the Race Director’s Event Notes. After reviewing video and in-car footage, the stewards determined that the circumstances justified discretion and issued no sporting sanction.