Valtteri Bottas reveals different Mercedes spec to Lewis Hamilton at Qatar Grand Prix
Bottas said that although he cannot reveal why his car picked up a puncture in Qatar it was a different setup to his fellow Mercedes driver
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Valtteri Bottas revealed after the Qatar Grand Prix that his Mercedes had a different spec to his teammate Lewis Hamilton’s car.
Bottas picked up a puncture and before an eventual retirement as he failed to finish the race, which Hamilton won to close the gap to Verstappen at the top of the standings to eight points with two races to go.
And Bottas said that although he cannot reveal why his car picked up a puncture, it was a different setup to his fellow Mercedes driver.
“I have found out the reason [for the puncture], but I cannot give details,” he said, according to Finnish outlet Ilta Sanomat. “But my car was no longer quite the same as it was, nor was it the same as Lewis’s. There were little differences in the cars.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff gave Bottas the hurry-up during the race, demanding he raise his pace, but afterwards Wolff backed his No2 driver to help defend the team’s constructors’ championship title, which they lead Red Bull by only five points.
“We know that he can drive away when he’s at the front,” Wolff said. “So the speed is there. I have absolute confidence in him for the next races and I hope that we will have a good car. Then Valtteri will be at the front again because we need him there.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments