Valtteri Bottas suffered on ultra-soft tires

For his first race with Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas concluded the Australian Grand Prix in third position, in the immediate wake of his teammate Lewis Hamilton. A more than honorable result for the Finn, who nevertheless believes he missed his chance to claim victory in his first stint.

" I had the impression of always sliding with the ultra-soft rubber, describes Bottas. I lacked grip at the front and rear, especially after 10 laps. It was not easy. But once we put the soft tires on, I had a great feeling with the car. It handled really well and it was really nice to drive. It's a shame, it was a little too late.

Overall, this race was not a disaster. It's good to start with a podium with a new team and every position is important for the championship. There is a long season ahead. I took points and I will do better next time. »

Valtteri Bottas also recognizes the superiority of Team Ferrari on this first event of the year. The Italian team returned to victory after 27 races without success since Singapore 2015.

“There are always things that could have gone better, but this is a good starting point for my adventure with Mercedes. As a team, I think we did a really good job with the car we had. But Ferrari was faster today, there is no doubt about that. They obviously did a great job over the winter. »

Discover the analysis of the Australian Grand Prix carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2107 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.