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Bottas' joke didn't go down well in China; Mercedes react

12:50, 19 Nov 2020

byGPblog.com

Valtteri Bottas had a very disappointing Turkish Grand Prix and after the race at Istanbul Park the Finnish driver made a joke about Wuhan, the town where the coronavirus originated. Mercedes faced criticism from China and that is why the German racing team have now apologised.

At Ziggo Sport, Bottas was asked whether Sunday in the Turkish capital was his worst day in 2020. "Today, yes. Or maybe the day someone bought a bat in Wuhan. Or this day."

In China, the joke of Bottas could not be laughed at and so Mercedes came up with a letter of apology. "Dear Chinese car fans. As we all know, sport makes us emotional, especially with the ups and downs that come with victories and losses. Last Sunday Valtteri had a difficult and disappointing race in which he lost the world title. It was not his intention to insult anyone in front of the TV cameras just after the race and he certainly did not want to show any disrespect to China and the Chinese fans".

Toto Wolff's team continues: "He is still the Valtteri we all know, he cares as much about every fan in China as we do, he wishes you all the best and wants you to stay safe in this difficult time and he is determined to bring exciting racing to your attention. We hope you have a good week and together we look forward to the last races of the season. Team China."

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5 Comments

AllSportsFan 21 November 2020 at 06:49+ 0

Driving in that type of condition, is when a man separates from a boy. It comes with experience. They both good drivers, but LH was better on the day. #Hamil7on

Frontrow 20 November 2020 at 21:00+ 0

The sooner Jinping and his toxic thugs are dispatched from the face of the earth the world will be a better place

blackdog 20 November 2020 at 09:47+ 142

To Hell with Xi Jinping and his Chinese Communist Party. Everything that is happening right now, all of the world wide suffering is down to them.

Lindsay Scott 19 November 2020 at 15:53+ 69

Whats wrong dont they like the truth !

F1Aficionado 19 November 2020 at 12:55+ 2477

This world has become completely and utterly ridiculous!!

One cannot even state FACTS anymore, facts that everybody in the world apart from a Chinese ruling caste KNOWS to be true. And also why and how.
(Don‘t get me wrong; the chinese leaders know this as well of course! But it doesn‘t fit their narrative - nothing bad can come from the system, you know!?)

It‘s a disgrace that companies force censorship on their employees, because they only see the bottom line and the money that China flaunts...

Shame!