Three F1 drivers learn stewards decision into chain-reaction accident

F1 stewards have elected to take no further action against Gabriel Bortoleto, Alex Albon, or Valtteri Bottas for an incident which ultimately saw all three eliminated from the Singapore Sprint. 

The Audi, Williams, and Cadillac drivers all retired from the sprint at the Marina Bay Street Circuit after a chain-reaction accident at the end of lap six, just as the field was preparing to go green-flag racing after the early safety car was withdrawn. 

Bortoleto, at the head of the trio, checked up behind the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso as the field began to pace themselves, with this happening at Turn 16 - the left-hander of the final chicane. 

But in doing so, Albon rammed into the back of the Audi, with Bottas then in turn doing the same to Albon, with all three cars immediately pitting, with Bortoleto and Bottas retiring on the spot, whilst Albon staggered on before eventually being called into retirement himself. 

All three drivers were summoned by the stewards to answer for the incident, with the panel ultimately deciding that no penalties would be applied.

A stewards document read: "When preparing for the re-start at the end of a safety car period, car 23 [Albon] collided with the rear of car 5 [Bortoleto], and car 77 [Bottas] collided with the rear of car 23.

"The driver of car 23 said that he had no opportunity to avoid colliding with the rear of car 5 after car 5 braked hard to avoid a collision with the cars in front.

"In the stewards’ assessment both collisions were a consequence of a concertina created by cars ahead travelling at inconsistent speeds in the preparation for the restart.

"As cars 23 and 77 were towards the back of the pack of slow moving cars, the chain reaction effect on them was more pronounced.

"Nonetheless, the stewards determined that like the collision between cars 77 and 23, the collision between cars 23 and 5 could have been avoided had the driver of car 23 recognised the risk of a concertina ahead and left more space when following car 5, particularly having regard to the damp conditions.

"Had car 23 not retired from the Sprint as a consequence of the collision, the stewards would have imposed a 5 second time penalty rather than the usual 10 second time penalty taking into account that, in part at least, a number of cars ahead in the queue had contributed by slowing at inconsistent rates.

"A 5 second time penalty would not have been converted into a grid penalty and therefore the stewards determined not to apply a penalty in this case."