A chaotic start for Bottas which led to “a very bad race”

The Mercedes are so far above the rest that every lost point counts. This context explains the reaction of Valtteri Bottas, third in the Hungarian Grand Prix this Sunday, after having missed his big start.

The Finn moved a few centimeters before the lights went out, stopped then left again, late. Although he did not receive any penalty, the mishap spoiled the race for him.  “I reacted to a light that appeared on my steering wheel,” explains Bottas.

I don't know what happened but I reacted based on this light and not the starting lights. I had to do the procedure again and lost a lot of places. »

The Mercedes driver found himself chasing in the peloton, while his teammate Hamilton took off in the lead. Stumbling on Max Verstappen (Red Bull) to gain 2nd place at the end of the race, he took the gamble of making an extra stop to put on new tires and jump the Dutchman on the wire. Without success.

“In the end, it was quite close with Max,” describes the Finn. I think it was worth it (to attempt a 3rd stop). It was a very bad race for me to be honest. I started second with the goal of winning, but I lost everything at the start. »

Beyond the setbacks at the start, Valtteri Bottas was dominated by his teammate all weekend. Even the point for the best lap in the race, long in his favor, was taken over in the final laps by Hamilton.

On the podium, Valtteri Bottas therefore logically looked gloomy. He is now second in the championship with five points behind Hamilton, and the psychological advantage taken during the opening round has been completely erased. A weekend to forget.

Discover the report and analysis of the Hungarian Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondent in Budapest, in issue 2270 of AUTOhebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version and this Wednesday on newsstands.