Tempers flare after 'cheeky' Mercedes move

3 years ago 374

Friction appears to beryllium increasing successful the narration betwixt Mercedes and Valtteri Bottas, pursuing an incidental astatine the extremity of the Dutch Grand Prix.

With conscionable 5 laps remaining successful the race, Bottas was called into the pits portion moving third, and contempt having caller tyres, was told not to spell for fastest lap, which comes with an other title point.

At the time, the fastest thigh was held by his teammate, Lewis Hamilton.

It led to a terse speech betwixt Bottas and his contention engineer, Tony Ross.

Ross: "We're not going for fastest (lap)."

Bottas (clearly miffed): "Why not?"

Ross: "So Lewis volition person a escaped halt astatine the end."

Bottas: "Why did we halt then?"

Ross: "Precautionary. Tyre vibrations."

That quality wasn't good received by Bottas, who past acceptable the fastest clip done the archetypal 2 sectors of his adjacent lap, prompting caput of strategy, James Vowles, to leap connected the radio.

"Valtteri, it's James, delight abort the fastest thigh effort earlier the extremity of the lap," helium said.

"Just playing around," replied Bottas.

Bottas backed disconnected slightly, but inactive acceptable the fastest thigh of the race. Hamilton past pitted, and reclaimed the fastest lap, and with it, the satellite title point. He present trails Max Verstappen by 3 points.

"That was a spot cheeky, but understandable," said squad brag Toto Wolff aft the race.

"Valtteri is ever connected the receiving extremity due to the fact that this title is truthful tight.

"He lifted disconnected massively successful the past sector, and it was wide that Lewis would bash the quickest thigh and Valtteri knew astir it.

"At the end, Lewis successful his combat for the drivers' title got the point, and it's each good."

Bottas is wide tipped to denote his departure from Mercedes arsenic soon arsenic this week, with Williams operator George Russell each but confirmed arsenic his replacement.

The Finn is expected to determination to Alfa Romeo, wherever he'll instrumentality the spot of the retiring Kimi Raikkonen, but, aft 5 seasons of playing a enactment relation to Lewis Hamilton, helium knows helium present has thing to lose.

"It could person ended up successful a nonaccomplishment of a constituent for Lewis, and it would person besides been not right, due to the fact that helium had fastest thigh until then," Wolff said.

"But you person to recognize besides astatine that point, there's a definite grade of vexation of Valtteri, and astatine the end, everything is good.

"We're going to speech astir it, but successful a astir amicable and nonrecreational way."

Hamilton's erstwhile teammate, 2016 satellite champion Nico Rosberg, said Bottas needs to enactment Mercedes, adjacent if he's leaving astatine the extremity of the year.

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"That 1 constituent is worthy thing for Valtteri this year, and it conscionable creates specified a large issue," helium said connected Sky Sports.

"You cannot bash it.

"Even though helium slowed down successful the 3rd sector, helium inactive took it distant momentarily from Lewis, that was atrocious enough.

"Valtteri, no, you cannot bash that."

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