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Alfa Romeo has been warned it faces the possibility of future penalties after taking the blame for Valtteri Bottas’ late appearance for his media commitments on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.
Team representatives have taken full responsibility for the fact 10-time grand prix winner Bottas did not appear in the TV pen at Zandvoort until a few minutes after he was scheduled.
Punctuality is a requirement of all drivers when it comes to their scheduled media appearances, with the FIA frowning upon any indiscretions.
On this occasion, the team, rather than Bottas personally, has been reprimanded. It has been made clear that should the team be at fault again in the future, a penalty will likely be applied.
After determining Bottas was late for his TV pen interviews, a stewards’ report read: “The team representatives explained that they had swapped the commitment schedules of their two drivers and had not informed Bottas where he was supposed to be early enough.
“They also noted that they stayed additional time to ensure that all media had the opportunity to talk to him.
“The FIA media delegate informed the stewards that the team and driver are generally diligent in their attendance at these
commitments.
“As this appears to be a team error, the stewards determined that the most appropriate penalty would be a reprimand to the team rather than to the driver, with the warning that further penalties may be considered in case of repetition.”
