Not fair! - Verstappen slams penalty as Bottas grumbles at rival's racing

Both Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas were unhappy with the incident that saw the Dutchman penalised at the Italian Grand Prix.

Published : Sep 03, 2018 00:06 IST

Max Verstappen leads Valtteri Bottas at the Italian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen leads Valtteri Bottas at the Italian Grand Prix
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Max Verstappen leads Valtteri Bottas at the Italian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas both felt they had reason to complain after the Italian Grand Prix, although the Mercedes man was able to celebrate a place on the podium.

The two drivers jostled for position at Monza until Red Bull's Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty for coming together with Bottas, allowing the Finn to claim third position.

That decision prompted an expletive-laden rant from Verstappen, accusing the stewards of "killing racing" over the team radio, and he still felt hard done by afterwards.

"We were in a position where we didn't expect be. I think we gave [Bottas] a car width, he clipped my wheel and he had to go straight," the Dutchman told Sky Sports. "I don't agree with it.

Read: Hamilton: Negativity powered me along at Monza

"Maybe they gave the penalty because of earlier in the race, when he first tried to tag me and I went a bit wide, but, even then, I think it's not fair. They gave it straight away.

"It's a shame but, looking at the positives, the car is working really well."

Bottas took a different view, however, believing that the only aspect that was "not fair" was Verstappen's conduct on the track.

"I was really trying to do everything I could to get to the podium," said Bottas. "My first mission was to hold up Kimi [Raikkonen, rivalling team-mate Lewis Hamilton] for a while, but then it was to end up on the podium.

"It was hard racing, sometimes not as fair as I was hoping for. He got a penalty and I'm on the podium."

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