BAKU, Azerbaijan -- Valtteri Bottas said the loose drain cover that damaged his car in final practice for the Grand Prix of Europe was "unacceptable".
Bottas missed the majority of FP3 after the drain cover flicked up as he ran over it and punched a hole in the side of his Williams. The incident added to the list of teething problems encountered by drivers at the Baku City Circuit -- which also includes loose kerbs and an unusual pit lane entrance -- but Bottas said the drain cover incident is unacceptable even at a new circuit.
"A drain cover came off as I entered the pit lane after just one lap and ripped through the right hand side of my car," he explained. "That was game over for me, so I could only drive again in qualifying.
"What happened was unacceptable and could have been worse as the marshals standing on the pit wall were very lucky, as part of the drain cover just missed them by a whisker."
Bottas qualified eighth on the grid after a close call with Verstappen at Turn 1 as he attempted to slipstream the Red Bull at the start of their flying laps. The incident ruined both drivers' laps, but Bottas said the only other option was to compromise his lap from the start.
"I knew there wasn't enough time to back off and leave a gap to Verstappen, so I saw my only opportunity was to fight for track position and try to overtake him going into Turn One. I couldn't do it, it ruined my lap and his lap but I was driven into a very difficult situation today. It was not my day at all.
"You either abort the lap or you try to overtake, hoping you can still get back on the line and have a good lap, with nice top speed. I was trying to fight for track position a couple of times but it didn't work out. For sure Max isn't happy, but I'm not planning to talk to him.
"For sure he lost something with that, but he needs to understand I was also fighting for my track position and for my qualifying result. It can happen, I guess. If I'd stayed behind him I would have lost lap time and tyre grip, so it was not an option. In any case it would have been tricky to get a good lap in the way the tyres were."