[ad_1]
Valtteri Bottas came to the Nürburgring after his second win of the year, two weeks ago in Russia he was able to cut Lewis Hamilton’s lead in the World Cup points race to 44 points. Bottas also squandered pole position in front of his teammate and also led early in the race, but in light rain due to massive braking he took every corner and slid into second place.
Due to a virtual safety car phase, Hamilton and Max Verstappen were able to easily change wheels, leaving Bottas in third place before he was likely forced to stand out due to a failure in the MGU-H.
With Hamilton’s victory, Bottas is now 69 points behind in the league with six runs ahead of the season. The Finn said after the race that he was disappointed that he had to excel the race through no fault of his own:
“It’s disappointing, a lot, it’s something you can’t start with. Okay, he had a brake in front of him, but I think he would still have had a chance to win because he only advanced my two-stop tactic, which was the best tactic. “
“I knew he was still in the game, even after making a mistake in the flashy rain. Then came the engine failure, I didn’t even believe it first. And now the disadvantage is very great compared to Lewis. I will need a miracle. “
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W11, fights with Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes F1 W11, for the lead at the start
Photo by Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“However, as always, there is no point in giving up now. You need to keep the bar high and keep trying. We’ll see what happens, but I’m disappointed so far, that’s the best word for it. “
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff spoke to Bottas after the race and apologized for the lack of resources, agreeing that the two-stop strategy might even have won him the race.
“We spoke well, I apologized for the mistake. I think with the two stops I would have been on a track that could have won the race. But that’s it. Formula 1 is still a technical sport. Today we disappointed him. “
Red Bull is thinking of returning to the Renault engine
Recommended video:
