Gearbox change forces grid penalty on Bottas!

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Valtteri Bottas will take a 5-place grid penalty for Sunday's British GP following an unscheduled gearbox change decided by Mercedes.

Damage, similar to the issue which forced Mercedes to change Lewis Hamilton's gearbox in Austria, was apparently detected by the German squad.

"Valtteri's gearbox was damaged in the same way as Lewis', but less severely, and we had hoped to coax it to the end of the cycle," said a Mercedes spokesman.

"However, we have not been able to do so."

Bottas continues to narrowly set the pace in FP2

Bottas was fastest in both of Friday's free practice sessions but will now face an uphill battle with a 5-spot starting grid demotion.

Mercedes insisted however that the source of the gearbox issue had been indentified and resolved.

"The cause of the damage is now behind us, just as for Lewis' problem."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.