Bottas admits “an error” during the first braking in the race

Second on the starting grid alongside Max Verstappen (Red Bull), Valtteri Bottas had a serious chance of doing well in Hungary, on a circuit where track position is of major importance.

Author of a good takeoff, the Finn reached pole-sitter Verstappen, but blocked his right front wheel, the beginning of a series of four disastrous turns for the outcome of the race of the driver of the W10 no. 77.

“It was my mistake, admits the main person concerned. I tried to brake as late and as hard as I could, but I stuck and that caused the tire to go flat. With the consequence a little understeer. »

Worse for Bottas, after failing to take advantage of the leading Red Bull, the former driver Williams sees himself put under pressure by his teammate Lewis Hamilton which takes second position.

Stopped in his momentum at the exit of turn 3, Bottas cannot resist Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), with contact between the two cars. Front wing damaged, Bottas was forced to stop to change the element, and thus saw his race ruined.

“I got back into traffic and lost a lot of time, Bottas analyzes. I tried everything I could, but it was really difficult to overtake. At least I have a few points, but we will analyze what happened and learn from it. »

“We couldn't run for long in such conditions without risking a more serious problem, adds Andrew Shovlin, chief race engineer of Mercedes.

So we decided to stop for the hard tires and a new wing, but from then on it was just about salvaging what we could with Valtteri. »

Discover the full report and analysis of the Hungarian Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in Budapest, in AUTO issue 2228hebdo, available this evening in digital version and this Wednesday on newsstands.