No regrets for Valtteri Bottas after the Spanish Grand Prix
With a different strategy than most of the other drivers on the grid, Valtteri Bottas thought he was poised to make a great move. Despite losing positions towards the end of the race, he still manages to secure a commendable sixth place.
This Spanish Grand Prix was very demanding for the drivers, especially for the tires. On the Barcelona track, the number of pit stops was abnormally high, mainly due to the extreme temperatures, both in the air and on the ground.
While most drivers attempted a three-stop strategy this Sunday, only four drivers chose to make just two pit stops: Vettel, Schumacher, Magnussen, and Bottas.
The Finn, who eventually finished in sixth position, was still fourth with ten laps to go, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz. But struggling with his worn mediums, Hamilton and then Sainz eventually passed him at the first corner of lap 58. When you’re in these positions and things are going well, and you see things happening to other cars, you say to yourself, “Okay, this could be my day,” says Bottas. But I think from a strategic point of view, we took a bit of a risk today. We left the final stint very long, but in the end, it was too long. The tires were dead towards the end, but we tried.
(T) Today, we had the opportunity to choose, will we be the best among the others, or will we try something else? So we tried something different and it didn’t work.
Bottas doesn’t think he could have beaten the Mercedes and Ferrari. « I don’t think so either, we just didn’t have enough pace for it. But maybe with Lewis’ issues towards the end, if we had a shorter final stint, it could have been possible. Either way, it’s still good points. »
The Finn is nonetheless having an interesting start to the season. Eighth in the drivers’ standings, he seems fulfilled aboard his Alfa Romeo. He is only eight points behind his former teammate, Lewis Hamilton, who is in sixth place.
