BOTTAS IS BREATHING DOWN HAMILTON’S NECK
VALTTERI BOTTAS roared into title contention with a commanding Austrian Grand Prix victory yesterday. Driving for the same Mercedes team as Lewis Hamilton, Bottas kept Sebastian Vettel at bay in the closing stages for a second win of the season to move 35 points behind the leader in the Drivers’ Championship. Hamilton’s sights have been fixed on Vettel but the Briton’s fourth place here forces him to look in his mirrors — where Bottas is looming large. The Finn is only 15 points behind Hamilton with 11 races to go. ‘I don’t want to shout about it too much but I know I’m in the championship fight,’ said the 27-year-old. ‘I’m developing every race and feel I’m getting better all the time.’ Little was expected when Mercedes handed him a 12-month deal following world champion Nico Rosberg’s departure. But on this evidence, team boss Toto Wolff must secure him longterm. Hamilton confirmed Bottas as a genuine contender. ‘There was never a point when he wasn’t in the fight,’ he said. ‘I always assumed he was and this just shows he still is.’ Bottas’ rapid reaction at the start set him flying to victory. His reaction time when the lights went out was less than a quarter of a second — so quick, in fact, that fellow front-rower Vettel was convinced he’d jumped the gun. Informed of the reaction time, the Ferrari driver said: ‘I don’t believe that. I was sure he jumped it.’ Replays showed Bottas inching forward before the last light had gone out. But the FIA said any movement was ‘within the tolerances allowed’. Hamilton, who started seventh on the grid, thought he’d passed Daniel Ricciardo for third on the penultimate lap but failed to make the move stick at turn four as the Australian claimed his fifth consecutive top-three finish, with the Briton back in fourth.