Valtteri Bottas says Mercedes “slept for a while” when Max Verstappen managed to move forward on his way to victory in the Formula 1 70th anniversary Grand Prix.
Bottas led the early part of the race after the start of the pole position, but struggled for pace after transitioning to the hard composite band for the second stint.
Red Bull chose to hold Verstappen out for a long first stint on the hard tire, in which he was able to pass Bottas’ pace despite the Finn having pitied for a fresher set.
It meant that by the time Verstappen took his first pit stop, he appeared just behind Bottas before going to Brooklands on his outside, before taking a commanding victory.
Bottas eventually finished the race third on a two-stop strategy after being passed in the closing stages by Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.
“Very frustrating of course, starting from pole position and finishing third is not ideal,” Bottas said after the race.
“I think as a team, we slept at a time when Max managed to get us ahead, and my strategy was far, far from ideal. That much to learn from today.
“There was a chance to keep up with Max, but as soon as I started pushing towards the end, the tires just fell apart.
“It was a blister in the tires today for us, and [it] seems like Red Bull had none, that they clearly had an edge over them. “
Both Mercedes cars wrestled with blisters on the hard-assembled tires throughout the race, leaving Bottas and Hamilton unable to match the pace of Verstappen.
Pirelli decided this weekend to bring a softer selection of tires to Silverstone than at the British Grand Prix, while track temperatures swelled above 40 degrees Celsius during the race.
“The tires just overheat, so it’s basically boiling,” Bottas explained.
“You get holes in the tire, and then you just lose grip. Once you start having those blisters in that particular tire, you just lose rotating grip, and you go slower and slower.
“We will continue. Of course, a disappointing day, but we will continue.”
.
