Bottas surprised by the defensive strategy chosen in the race

Valtteri Bottas will have brought back points always welcome in the clan Mercedes, but without a doubt, the Finn was hoping for much more than a “simple” third place on the Sakhir track in Bahrain.

A time dominated by Charles Leclerc and Ferrari at the start of the race, Bottas was able to regain the advantage over the Monegasque and follow from afar the fight between the leader Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).

Already installed on a strategy that he describes as defensive, the tipping point of the former driver's race Williams However, there will remain this pit stop missed in great width by the mechanics of the German firm, its car being reinstalled before the right front wheel is changed.

Seconds flying by the bunch which will place Bottas in a solitary position for the rest of the event.

“It’s good for the team to get good points, but from my side, in terms of strategy, we were engaged in a defensive strategy instead of attacking, which surprises me a lot and that's not entirely normal, admits the Mercedes driver.

We had a different choice of tires so we could play with the strategy, but I think from my side there was more to be achieved today. Then I had a slow pit stop and that took away all the opportunities. I think sometimes the pacing was good but yes, I'm disappointed. »

Returning to the pits at the end of the race to aim for, and obtain, the best lap in the race, Valtteri Bottas nevertheless believes that the performance of the Mercedes against Red Bull should be highlighted after the table seen during winter testing.

“It could have been good in the fight at the end of the race but it wasn't my day today, judges the Finn. On the other hand, as a team, if we had been told during winter testing that we were going to place two cars in the top three, with one of them winning the race and getting more points than Red Bull , we would have signed.

As a team it was a good performance overall, but there are still things we need to do better. »

Discover the full report and analysis of the Bahrain Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondent in Sakhir, in issue 2305 of AUTOhebdo, available this evening in digital version and this Wednesday on newsstands.