Former F1 Champion Blames Valtteri Bottas for Mercedes’ Strategy Blunder in France
Follow Us
Valtteri Bottas didn’t have the weekend he wanted to at the recent French Grand Prix. He lost a podium finish and had to settle for fourth place. The Finn was understandably furious with Mercedes for not listening to him about having a two-stop strategy, which could have possibly given the Brackley-based outfit a better result.
However, former F1 driver Damon Hill doesn’t agree with Bottas. Instead, he feels that the Finn should have taken more responsibility, and been more assertive; Damon believes Valtteri should have come into the pits even if the team didn’t agree with him on the strategy.
Hill doesn’t have any sympathy for Valtteri Bottas after strategy fail
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
On an episode of the podcast, F1 Nation with TC, Pinks & Damon, Hill said, “Why didn’t he just come in anyway? The point is, it’s about responsibility. If Valtteri wanted to just say, ‘I’m coming in, get the tyres’, he has to take the responsibility for it not working.
“And the thing about decisions like that is it’s who’s going to take the can when it goes wrong,” he concluded.
Trending
Daniel Ricciardo To Be Replaced by Liam Lawson After Miami, F1 Pundit Dishes Out Harsh Verdict After Australian’s “Amateur Mistake”
April 17, 2024 11:14 AM EDT
Max Verstappen Sabotaged Daniel Ricciardo’s Only Chance of Getting the Red Bull Seat for 2025
April 21, 2024 11:59 AM EDT
F1 Rumor: Christian Horner and Wife Geri to Publicly Reveal All Details on Leaked Chat Scandal
April 22, 2024 04:10 PM EDT
Charles Leclerc Joins Lewis Hamilton’s Close Friend Irina Shayk for a Vogue Shoot
April 23, 2024 02:58 PM EDT
Carlos Sainz Blames Charles Leclerc for Causing Fred Vasseur’s Painful Chinese GP Loss
April 21, 2024 12:23 PM EDT
Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.
Follow Us
Watch Story: Toto Wolff Swears, Valtteri Bottas Bares: Funniest Moments From Drive to Survive
What did the Finn say on the team radio?
Mercedes’ number #77 driver was in third place and looked like he was set to feature on the podium at Paul Ricard. However, he was soon overtaken by Sergio Perez and fell down to fourth. Bottas was furious with his Mercedes colleagues over the pitstop strategy, and he expressed his anger over the team radio.
He said, “Why the f*ck you didn’t listen to me when I told you it was gonna be a two-stopper? F*cking hell!”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
A frustrated Bottas had to settle for fourth place and earned twelve points for his team that weekend. Fortunately, he has good things to look forward to, as the next two races will take place in Austria – where he won a race last season.
Hence, Bottas is looking forward to the race this weekend, as a way of redeeming himself from the heartbreaking French GP.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Can Valtteri bounce back at the Red Bull Ring and secure a podium finish for the Silver Arrows? We will just have to wait for the weekend to find out.
Not a Good Vibe: Ex F1 Driver Believes Bottas Has Been Told of Mercedes Departure