General
Bottas after yet another safety car: "Do I have to?"
Valtteri Bottas managed to stay out of the chaos during the first Grand Prix of the year in Austria. The Mercedes driver had a clear round this weekend and managed to get 25 World Championship points. In his reaction, the Finn says he is very happy with this success!
"There was some pressure during the race," Bottas said to Jenson Button on the grid. Lewis Hamilton's teammate saw a chaotic final phase in Spielberg. "The car was good, but I squeezed it during the last safety car. I was really like: "Do I have to?"
That gave Lewis Hamilton another chance to take over the lead when the race restarted. "Lewis wanted to be in the lead, he was quick today, but I managed to keep him behind me and in control. A season couldn't start better than this for me."
Good start Mercedes
The Mercedes car wasn't completely exempt from problems during the race. Hamilton and Bottas had to stay away from the kerbs in order not to damage the gearbox. "We had to manage the car and stay away from the kerbs. We're also leading the championship for the teams so that's a good start to the year," Bottas concludes.