Seatbelt problem leaves Bottas to struggle to P10 in Brazil - MotorSportsTalk

A problem with the seatbelt on his Williams FW36 car cost Valtteri Bottas a top five finish in yesterday’s Brazilian Grand Prix, with the Finnish driver eventually crossing the line in 10th place.

Bottas has been one of the breakout stars of the 2014 Formula 1 season, claiming five podium finishes to rank sixth in the drivers’ championship, marking a dramatic turnaround in fortunes following a troublesome campaign in 2013.

After qualifying fourth, Bottas would have been hoping to push for a podium finish at Interlagos. However, thanks to a problem with his seatbelt, the Finn had to take a prolonged pit stop whilst the problem was fixed, dropping him well down the order.

“It was a race full of different problems for me and in the end it just wasn’t my day,” Bottas said. “I had an issue with my belts at the beginning that we resolved at the first pit stop but this lost me a lot of time and I also lost time in the second stop.

“The conditions were very challenging as tire wear was high and all cars were experiencing graining. As a team we have managed to come away with some decent points and I’m happy for Felipe [Massa] as the crowd reaction after he got out of the car was very special.

“These sort of days happen in Formula 1 and we need to regroup and make sure that Abu Dhabi is a problem free race for us.”

Williams’ race day in Brazil was a reverse of the luck that we have seen for much of this season, with Massa facing a number of problems. However, he managed to secure an emotional podium finish at his home track on Sunday, and he will be hoping to carry this form into the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi.

Bottas still has a chance of finishing the year in fourth place, with just three points separating Sebastian Vettel (159), Fernando Alonso (157) and the Finn (156) ahead of the double points race at Yas Marina.

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With three multiple winners now vying for the championship, the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series heads to Round 11 at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.

Chase Sexton earned his second victory of the season in Detroit when Aaron Plessinger fell on the final lap. Though he was penalized seven points for disobeying a flag, Sexton is third in the championship race. The Honda rider trails leader Cooper Webb (two victories) by 17 points, and defending series champion Eli Tomac (five wins) is three points behind Webb in second with seven races remaining.

Tomac won last year in Seattle on the way to his second season title.

Honda riders have a Supercross-leading 20 victories in the Seattle event but none at Lumen Field since Justin Barcia in 2013. Tomac and Barcia are the only past 450 Seattke winners entered in Saturday’s event.

Here are the pertinent details for watching Round 11 of the 2023 Supercross season in Seattle:

(All times are ET)

BROADCAST/STREAMING SCHEDULE: TV coverage of Round 11 will begin Saturday at 10 p.m. ET streaming on Peacock with a re-air Monday at 1 a.m. ET on CNBC. The Race Day Live show (including qualifying) will begin on Peacock at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

NBC Sports will have exclusive live coverage of races, qualifiers and heats for the record 31 events in SuperMotocross. The main events will be presented on Peacock, NBC, USA Network, CNBC, and NBC Sports digital platforms.

Peacock will become the home of the SuperMotocross World Championship series in 2023 with live coverage of all races, qualifying, and heats from January to October. There will be 23 races livestreamed exclusively on Peacock, including a SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff event. The platform also will provide on-demand replays of every race. Click here for the full schedule.

POINTS STANDINGS: 450 division l 250 division

ENTRY LISTS: 450 division l 250 division

EVENT SCHEDULE (all times ET):

Here are the start times for Saturday’s Supercross Round 11 in Seattle, according to the Monster Energy Supercross schedule from the AMA:

4:50 p.m.: 250SX Group B Qualifying 1
5:05 p.m.: 250SX Group A Qualifying 1
5:20 p.m.: 450SX Group A Qualifying 1
5:35 p.m.: 450SX Group B Qualifying 1
6:25 p.m.: 250SX Group B Qualifying 2
6:40 p.m.: 250SX Group A Qualifying 2
7:55 p.m.: 450SX Group A Qualifying 2
8:10 p.m.: 450SX Group B Qualifying 2
10:06 p.m.: 250SX Heat 1
10:20 p.m.: 250SX Heat 2
10:34 p.m.: 450SX Heat 1
10:48 p.m.: 450SX Heat 2
11:22 p.m.: 250SX Last Chance Qualifier
11:34 p.m.: 450SX Last Chance Qualifier
11:54 p.m.: 250SX Main Event
12:28 a.m.: 450SX Main Event