Q&A VALTTERI BOTTAS

Mercedes driver

Valtteri Bottas remains winless in 2018 after missing out on a second consecutive Sochi victory, but it was the way his sacrifice was managed – not the order itself – that upset him.

Was it not clear before the start that you would be asked to move aside?

It was surprising. The team was worried with the blister Lewis had that he would lose second place to Sebastian and that wouldn’t be ideal for both championships. I’m sure if you put yourself in the shoes of Toto [Wolff] or any team leader it’s not easy to decide those things.

Since you understand the need for the order, are you most frustrated by the way it was handled?

It was slightly confusing. It was not something we had planned. Normally we go through everything before the race – all the scenarios and how we would react to those things. What happened today, we could never expect that to happen and I got the call very suddenly. I definitely didn’t expect it – that’s why it was a little bit confusing.

So why wasn’t it planned?

It’s impossible to go through all of them [the scenarios]. What was confusing is the lack of communication before it happened. I was told to try to get through Verstappen. I was planning to overtake him two laps later; I was getting closer and closer. Suddenly I got a call to move over for Lewis. That was confusing.

You got fastest lap. Was that important?

I was still on engine-save mode. It felt like I was cruising in the end so there was a lot more pace available throughout the whole stint behind Lewis. There are no points for fastest lap. The main thing is that I know I could have won on equal terms.

Has Toto promised to make it up to you?

I don’t expect anything back from the team. When, if, I win I want to win like I’ve earned it in pure racing. As a person, as an athlete, it’s not ideal. Today was really me taking one for the team.