This year’s Portuguese Grand Prix was the same as last season. Valtteri Bottas grabbed pole, but lost the lead halfway through to Lewis Hamilton, who secured the top step on the podium.
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Only this time Bottas struggled with a problem with the exhaust gas sensor in his car, which prevented him from storming the Red Bull in front of him.
In the end, however, he minimized the damage by aiming for the fastest lap point. But even before the sensor problem, he was fighting for grip and speed and drove significantly slower than his team-mate.
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Formula 1 F1 – Portuguese Grand Prix – International Algarve Circuit – Portimao, Portugal – Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes crosses the finish line and wins the REUTERS / Marcelo Del Pozo race
In the meantime, it’s been a pretty stress-free 90-minute drive for Hamilton. Apart from the usual fears of tire degradation, the seven-time world champion never showed any signs of weakness.
In addition, Hamilton won the race for the second time in Portugal by more than 25 seconds over the second-placed driver. Is there a reason Finn fought so much against the easy-going Hamilton?
Well this time there might actually be a reason, and it’s not just about the ability of the drivers on the track.
Why was Bottas slower than Lewis Hamilton during the race?
Motorsport claims that both Mercedes drivers drove with a different rear wing setup. While Bottas’ setup was a lot easier, Hamilton drove with a fairly heavy rear wing.
Hamilton’s car had the wing’s double support mast, and the central V around the hatch was also missing. In the meantime, the fin was running with the usual configuration and less vertical thrust.
Therefore, the seven-time world champion fought in qualifying to beat Bottas on pole, as the weight difference was significant. However, the heavier setup turned out to be a boon for the championship leader.
During the race, when the crosswind got stronger, Bottas began to struggle for the stability of the rear while his teammate fully accepted the latest rear wing configuration.
Formula 1 F1 – Portuguese Grand Prix – International Algarve Circuit – Portimao, Portugal – Mercedes ‘Valtteri Bottas and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in action during the REUTERS / Juan Medina race
With more power since the last mapping of the thrust motor, Hamilton also found better stability when coming out of the difficult last corner onto the main straight. For Bottas, however, the poor stability of the tail prevented him from using the increased power to his advantage.
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Overall, these extraordinary improvements helped the Briton catch Max Verstappen and Bottas after falling back to P3 when the safety car restarted.
Will Mercedes be smart with these little configurations for the rest of the season? Will this ultimately lead Hamilton to his eighth league title this year? Only time can tell.
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