‘Nobody Would Have Criticized Valtteri’- Toto Wolff Strongly Defends Bottas After Poor F1 Season
Follow Us
The 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix was a difficult outing for Valtteri Bottas. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, was ruled out of the race because of COVID-19. Mercedes loaned George Russell out of Williams for that weekend.
Valtteri Bottas had a good chance of winning another race. However, the young Briton overshadowed his teammate for the weekend. Even though Bottas finished ahead of Russell, the Briton was far more superior throughout the race.
Russell’s overtake on Bottas after the pit stop catastrophe was incredible. After the race, Bottas reached out to the management and explained that he did not feel the team’s backing and asked for more encouraging dialogue.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Wolff pointed out that the margin of winning and losing in Formula 1 is very slim. He further explained that drivers’ mindset is very important and should be dealt with.
He said, “What we need to look at, and what we need to work out collaboratively, is that for drivers, it’s all about winning the world championship.
“If he [Bottas] would have led the way in Bahrain 2 [Sakhir GP] and won the race, nobody would have criticized Valtteri. And that was down to a good or less good start. He was also catching up in the race before our unfortunate pitstop incident,” he said.
‘He Has the Unconditional Support’ – Mercedes’ Toto Wolff Reassures under Pressure Valtteri Bottas
Wolff points out an unlucky season for Valtteri Bottas
The Mercedes driver finished P2 in the championship position, 124 points behind Lewis Hamilton, and 9 points ahead of the P3 position.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Wolff explained that the 2020 performance was not Bottas’ true performance. He lost a lot of points due to punctures, accidents, and events out of his control.
Trending
F1 Rumor: Adrian Newey to Join Ferrari, Leaving Red Bull Amid Christian Horner-Helmut Marko Fiasco
April 25, 2024 05:55 PM EDT
Liam Lawson’s Surprise Contract Clause Threatens Daniel Ricciardo’s RB Seat
April 24, 2024 11:15 AM EDT
What Is Azzurro La Plata and Azzurro Dino? Significance of Ferrari’s Historic Change to a Blue Livery for Miami GP
April 24, 2024 04:52 PM EDT
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
“[Charles] Leclerc Doesn’t Care About Ferrari”: F1 Insider’s Brutal Blow to Fred Vasseur & Co. Has Racing Community Lashing Out
April 24, 2024 05:00 PM EDT
Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.
Follow Us
Wolff said, “Valtteri has had highs, but more downs this year than he deserved, And the downs were not due to a lack of performance, the downs were simply unlucky. I think he could have had a handful more victories.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“The championship could have stayed more open much, much longer. He performs on a very high level. There’s no reason to question him if he has those fantastic weekends with top performances,” he concluded.
Valtteri Bottas has renewed his contract with Mercedes and is more than likely to battle with Hamilton again next season. It is essential for the Finnish driver to prove that he belongs at the top team. Hopefully, Bottas’ run of bad luck will end next season and he will get an opportunity to showcase his true racecraft.