Valtteri Bottas was obviously not happy with how the Russian Grand prix finished after his Mercedes team told him to let through Lewis Hamilton. The explanation towards the Finn was that his teammate had blisters on the rear tyres and they had to protect him from Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari). At the end of the race, Bottas asked if the positions would remain the same and was told to keep the order. Then the team made sure he did not say anything controversial right after the race by reminding him everything would be discussed later.
LAP 52/53: ? @MercedesAMGF1
BOT: “How are we gonna finish the race?”
TEAM: “Positions stay as they are”#RussianGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/LkHOk165XU— Formula 1 (@F1) September 30, 2018
WOLFF: “Valtteri, this is Toto. It was a difficult day for you and a difficult day for us. Let’s discuss it after the race”#RussianGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/E9pnUMxUit
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 30, 2018
Bottas was the perfect team player all along. He pointed out that it was a tough day for him
“We got a good result for us as a team with maximum points, but for me personally it was a difficult race”, the Finn admitted.
“Although I already understand the situation. If you put yourself in the team leader’s shoes, for them it doesn’t matter if it is me or Lewis winning, as long as we are 1-2 we get the maximum points. For the end of the year, it’s only Lewis fighting for the Championship, I am not. So, for the team, it is always better that Lewis wins – that’s how it goes.”
“It is not ideal for me as an athlete and a person, but that is a fact. We are playing as a team and I am prepared to play as a team. I took one for the team, I will take one for the team tomorrow. That’s how it goes, but I am also looking forward to next year, starting a new season. I know that I was supposed to win. And I could’ve won the race on equal terms. I know myself I am the winner of this weekend. I don’t have the trophy but it doesn’t matter. That’s how it is and I move on.”
