Bottas swallows his bitterness and sees himself as the moral winner of the GP

Si Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) doubted it, the strategy dictated by his team during the Russian Grand Prix was crystal clear: faced with the challenge represented by a fifth world title for Lewis Hamilton, the Finn is no match.

This was particularly glaring when at 24 laps, Valtteri Bottas' track engineer ordered him to let the Briton pass at turn 13. A maneuver that the winner of the day had not wanted, but which above all marked the end of the poleman's hopes of victory.

Near the end of the race, Valtteri Bottas asked by radio if the positions could change between him and Lewis Hamilton. The response was negative. Obviously, as a good polite employee, the person concerned tried hard to hide his disappointment, even his anger, from the media.

“What a difficult day. It's a good result for the team with plenty of points, but personally, the race was tough. Only Lewis will fight for the title. It's better for the team if he wins. It's not ideal for me, as an athlete or as an individual, but that's how it is." he explained on the Sky Sports channel F1.

« I understand this situation, indicates the one who had just opened his victory counter in F1 on this Russian track in the spring of 2017. This second place at least has the merit of restoring a dose of optimism for the last part of the season.

Team #DrivenByEachOther pic.twitter.com/Tm4Sa6oPUy

- Mercedes-AMG F1 (@ MercedesAMGF1) September 30, 2018

“I know deep down that I am the winner of this Grand Prix. I was supposed to win. I don't have the trophy, but that doesn't matter, it's what it is and I'll move on. »

Discover the analysis of the Russian GP carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2185 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.