'I had to risk it,' says Bottas after Mexico horror crash

Championship challenger Valtteri Bottas admitted he "had to risk it" when he buried his Mercedes into a trackside wall in a frantic conclusion to qualifying at the Mexican Grand Prix.

"I knew that I had to risk it in the last run to gain positions, so I tried to squeeze everything out of the car," said Bottas who is the only driver who can deny teammate Lewis Hamilton from securing a sixth world title.

"The lap was good until the last corner where I went a bit wide on the exit on the dusty part of the track and that's where I lost it and hit the wall.

"I'm all okay, but I've unfortunately given the boys in the garage some extra work to do tonight. Hopefully we can avoid taking any penalties for tomorrow. It's annoying because looking at the times, I think I had a chance at qualifying third."

Bottas was checked out at the circuit medical centre after the crash on Saturday with his team going on to post on Twitter: "He's OK! Valtteri Bottas has returned to the paddock. Great ...