Bottas' penalty is 'meagre', Doornbos speaks of 'big, fat driver's mistake'

It is, to say the least, not yet the season of Valtteri Bottas. The Finn is in danger of having to say goodbye to his seat at Mercedes and sees Lando Norris ahead of him in the championship. Sunday's race did not help him in the battle with the young Briton.

Whether he has lost his seat for next year to George Russell will probably become clear this month, but this race doesn't help the picture that has already been created. Bottas will no longer be a Mercedes driver after this year. Robert Doornbos says in his Q&A for ZiggoSport that he doesn't think Bottas' penalty, five places grid penalty in Spa, is enough.

"I think Bottas' penalty is a bit meagre. We have also had in the past a Grosjean had wild opening laps and that he got a suspension for a race. This just can't happen too often in Formula 1."

Bottas fast from zero to hero

Because while the Finn's qualifying was fine, his race was over after just ten seconds. Just like the race of many other drivers for that matter.

"The stakes are very high. You go, as you can see, quickly from zero to hero. He qualified well behind Hamilton and was then the hero. And after ten seconds in the race, it is zero again. Really a very bad day from Valtteri and just a big, fat driver's mistake."

Bottas will want to seek revenge at Spa, but may then have to do so knowing he has lost his seat for next year. Either way, he will have certainty about his future in Belgium.