Valtteri Bottas said Mercedes left the door wide open for Max Verstappen to win the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Bottas led away from pole position and controlled the early game of the race, but Verstappen stood on an alternate strategy and jumped forward in the first pit-stop window. Bottas would lose second place to Mercedes teammate and champion leader Lewis Hamilton in the final rounds.
The result saw Bottas drop to third in the championship, behind Verstappen, and fall to 34 points behind Hamilton. The Finn was not happy with how Mercedes had handled his strategy on Sunday.
Bottas spoke immediately after the race, saying: “Very frustrating, of course, starting from the pole and finishing third, it is not ideal. As a team we slept at a time when Max came for us and my strategy far , far from ideal, so we have a lot to learn today. “
Bottas came shortly after the second stop for Verstappen, but the Dutchman returned immediately.
When asked when he felt the race was slipping away, he said, “When I lost the track position to Max.
“I asked the team if I could go faster because I managed the tires around that time, but I got the message that keeping the tires in good condition was still the priority. Then, of course, Max came out of the put a lot together and got me into Turns 6 and 7, so then I knew it could be tricky.
“I was hoping there were chances, but then the middle stint was pretty short and when I saw Max stop at the same time as me, I knew it was going to be difficult. After the end of the last stint I tried to push flat out , to take chances and I grabbed him a bit, but then the tires gave up completely. I think I should have definitely been longer for the second stint. The last stint was too long and that was when I lost the position to Lewis . “
Talking about Hamilton passing by, he said, “Of course I tried [to stay ahead], if there was a chance, to stop with Max, but as soon as I started pushing, towards the end, the tires just fell apart. There were a lot of extinguishers for the tires for us today and it looks like Red Bull had none, so they clearly have an edge there. “
.
