Bottas: I'm still the winner in Sochi

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas believes that he is "still the winner" of the weekend after a controversial win by his team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Bottas was told to hand the victory over to his team-mate, who is involved and winning a title battle with Sebastian Vettel, and the Finn did exactly that.

The Finn produced a brilliant and faultless performance in Russia, starting in pole position, but Mercedes were more concerned abot Hamilton's tyres and asked Valtteri to step aside for the world champion.

Bottas still thinks he's the winner of the weekend, though - despite the result in Sochi.

"I know from this weekend I was supposed to win," Bottas told Crash.net. "I know myself I'm the winner of this weekend. I don't have the trophy but that doesn't matter, that's how it is and I move on.

"For the end of the year it's only Lewis fighting for the championship, I'm not, so for the team it's always better that Lewis wins - that's how it goes.

"It's not ideal for me, as an athlete or as a person but that's a fact. The only thing that matters for me now, to keep me going to the end of the year is I know I was supposed to win. I could have won the race on equal terms.