Valtteri Bottas forgot one race in Bahrain. The Mercedes man wasn’t fast enough to keep up with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, and a botched pit stop didn’t help either. In the end he had to be content with a P3 finish. However, Bottas was more disappointed than the unfortunate pit stop and his overall result in the race was more disappointed with the strategy of Mercedes F1. And the former F1 driver Marc Surer fully sympathizes with the Finn.
Surer said the Silver Arrows used Bottas as pawns to hamper Max Verstappen’s attack, giving Hamilton enough time to race off and take home the win.
The former Brabham driver called out Mercedes’ strategy and Bottas said (translated by Google): “[Wolff] don’t want to tell the truth. [Mercedes] needed Bottas to put pressure on Verstappen.
Formula 1 F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas after qualifying in the pool pool with third place over REUTERS / Lars Baron
“With Bottas’ early stop, they forced Verstappen to change tires too.”
Bottas’ second pit stop took place much earlier than the Finn wanted, Bottas himself admitted that. Surer believes Bottas should undercut Verstappen. The Mercedes man was then able to leave Max behind long enough to breathe life into the Dutchman’s tires. This would allow Hamilton to take a much calmer win.
However, this did not happen because of the pit stop error. And Hamilton was forced to defend himself in an exciting competition for his life.
Mercedes denies Surer’s bold claims of sacrificing Valtteri Bottas
Formula 1 F1. Bahrain Grand Prix. Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas in action during the REUTERS / Hamad I Mohammed race
The Silver Arrows denied that they wanted to use Bottas as a protective shield for Hamilton. The team’s technical director, James Allison, who may be their future team boss, claimed the only reason they pitted Bottas early was to give the Finn a P2 finish.
Allison said (translated by Google): “He pitted on the lap that gave him the best chance of getting past Max. Red Bull had fallen by the wayside with Max when Lewis made an “undercut” at the start of the race. So it was clear to us that Max would face a dilemma if we brought in Valtteri at an appropriate time. “
The Bahrain Grand Prix was certainly an exciting race. The strategy calls that were thrown around made it seem like a game of chess Mercedes was ahead of the game. Will it be the same in Imola? Tune in on April 18th to find out.
Also read: 2021 F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: schedule, start time and place to watch the race live
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