WATCH: Race Director Michael Masi explains why Bottas escaped penalty for 'jump start'
Lots of viewers watching the Hungarian Grand Prix spotted Valtteri Bottas appear to move in his second place grid slot before the lights went out to start the race, yet the Mercedes driver did not receive a penalty.
So why not? It's all to do with tolerances in the sensor on the car used to measure movement. Race Director Michael Masi explains all in the video above.
Penalty or not, the slight movement ended up costing Bottas dearly, as it slowed down his actual start for the race and he missed the chance of beating polesitter Lewis Hamilton into Turn 1, and then got swallowed up by the pack of cars which had started behind him. He battled back to third on the grid, but his chance of victory had gone in the split second before the lights went out.
Bottas explained what had caused the issue. “I reacted to a light on my dash that went off," he said. "I don’t know what it was, so something changed on my dash and I reacted to that instead of the start light and I had to do the start again and lost it there.”
READ MORE: Bottas blames lights on steering wheel dash for race-wrecking bad start
Next Up
Related Articles
12 of F1's weirdest and most amazing records
Miami and Montreal to host Formula 2 Rounds in 2026
Sainz details 'all the targets' for Williams to improve in 2026
When Formula 1 meets golf
Mekies explains if Red Bull are paying price for late 2025 push
ExclusiveBinotto on Audi's 'biggest challenge' and their journey so far