“I’m sorry, guys”– Valtteri Bottas has been regarded as the best teammate in F1’s history after causing a comical start to the race in Hungary.
The rain was announced, and the rest became history as the Hungarian Grand Prix witnessed one of the most chaotic race start of 2021, with four drivers exiting from the race– Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc, lance Stroll and Lando Norris.
The centre of attraction in this crash was Bottas, who is being called the best teammate in Formula 1’s history, for serving an easy win for his teammate- Lewis Hamilton, who now stands at a massive advantage over his rival Max Verstappen.
At turn 1, all the cars were struggling to grip, so the braking among all drivers was early except for Bottas, who braked late and was at high speed, propelling his car to slip into Norris’ rear wing.
Further, Norris hit both Red Bull cars, though Verstappen survived, it was the end of Perez’s race. On the other hand, Leclerc got sandwiched between Stroll’s Aston Martin and Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren, leaving him in utter disbelief.
Valtteri Bottas takes out both Red Bull drivers on lap 1, officially securing his seat with Mercedes for 2022.pic.twitter.com/mu1eLcpxBB
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) August 1, 2021
Nice bowling game. So frustrating.
— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) August 1, 2021
F1 Twitter having a field day.
The crash caused an instant uproar, with most of the F1 fanbase rooting for an end of Mercedes’ hegemony, and naturally, want Verstappen to win the championship.
Additionally, many claimed that this probably served his purpose of securing a seat in Mercedes for next year, which so far reportedly is on the hook amidst George Russell rumours to join Mercedes; the memes just flowed in.
BREAKING: Valtteri Bottas signs new deal until he retires. pic.twitter.com/A42q5zqcYT
— David Alonso (@alo44_LFCBB) August 1, 2021
The moment when @ValtteriBottas earned his 2022 seat @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/QqwsFgGRaE
— Akash Bhargava (@akashbhargava22) August 1, 2021
To whom it may concern… the @ValtteriBottas came in like a wrecking ball🎳🏗️
#HungarianGP #WTF1 #Bottas #Mercedes #MileyCyrus pic.twitter.com/rAcX7e9qFz— Andreas Seidl (@Januskopp) August 1, 2021
Bottas doing everything he can to keep his Mercedes seat. Took out both Red Bulls at turn one 😳
— Tom Bellingham (@TommyWTF1) August 1, 2021