Valtteri Bottas was forced into another retirement this season after his Mercedes gearbox gave up after just 14 laps of the Austrian Grand Prix. The Finn had qualified on pole and worked his way back into second after a manic start, an effort which ultimately was for nought.
Speaking in the media pen after returning to the paddock, Bottas reflected on what could have been for his Mercedes team.
“I had a lot of wheelspin at the start so lost momentum into turn 1 and lost a couple of place.
“Good recovery into second.
“As a team we were in a good position with everything to play for.
“We lost hydrualic pressure in Turn 3 on that lap when it happened.
“I had no gears because of that.
“There were no signs of any issues before so it just happened suddenly.
“We haven’t had this kind of failure before so we need to find the reason and fix it.
“But quite unlucky for me as well.”
If he didn't have bad luck he would have no luck at all. This wasn't the first time Bottas was forced to retire from a grand prix after looking good for a strong result.
He was set for race victory in Azerbaijan but for a piece of debris laying on the racing line, this time again circumstances that were out of his hands prevented him from scoring vital championship points.
His retirement sees him slip down to sixth in the championship, and any hopes of fighting for the driver's championship look to be gone for another season.
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