- Australian GP
Bottas ruled out of Australian GP
Laurence Edmondson in Melbourne March 15, 2015 « No light at the end of the tunnel with Renault - Newey | Rosberg: Hamilton drove like a champion »
Valtteri Bottas will miss the Australian Grand Prix after failing an FIA medical with a very small tear in the annular part of a disc in his lower back.
Bottas felt a twinge of pain when he hit the brakes during his second flying lap in Q2 yesterday and spent the night in hospital. He arrived on the track on Sunday, but despite physio work in the build-up to the grand prix, he was deemed unfit to race by the FIA medical delegate.
"Following the team's earlier statement regarding the injury that Valtteri sustained to his lower back during yesterday's qualifying session for the Australian Grand Prix," a team statement said. "It can be confirmed that the scans revealed that Valtteri had suffered has a very small tear in the annular part of a disc in his lower back.
"Valtteri has since been evaluated by the FIA's medical team and following a series of tests the FIA Medical Delegate has deemed Valtteri unfit to take part in this afternoon's race. The team respect the FIA's decision and will now work with Valtteri ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix to ensure he receives the treatment required to get him back to full fitness."
Bottas cannot be replaced and the rest of the grid will move up one place to fill his empty sixth place grid slot.
Laurence Edmondson is deputy editor of ESPNF1
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Laurence Edmondson is deputy editor of ESPNF1 Laurence Edmondson grew up on a Sunday afternoon diet of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell and first stepped in the paddock as a Bridgestone competition finalist in 2005. He worked for ITV-F1 after graduating from university and has been ESPNF1's deputy editor since 2010
