Bottas: Win ‘pays back from last year’

Valtteri Bottas says his win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix ‘pays back from last year’ after losing out last year.

Back in 2018 Bottas came short of the victory after running over some debris on the main straight whilst leading, causing him a puncture and losing the lead.
 
But the Finn succeeded this time having to hold off his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton for the win and regain the lead of the drivers’ championship.
 
“It was a tough race, even though there wasn’t much going on at the front,” Bottas said (quoted by GPToday.net).
 
“Lewis was putting pressure on all the time, so I couldn’t make any mistakes but, honestly, everything was under control, so I’m happy to see the chequered flag and get this first place.
 
“It means a lot to win. It’s incredible the level we’re performing as a team, that’s why I was just saying at the guys I’m so proud to be part of that.
 
“We’re all performing really, really well. For me as well it’s only my fifth win and it feels good and pays back from last year.”
 
At the start of the race Hamilton managed a good start off the line and closed in on Bottas.
 
But the Finn managed to hold him off into the first corner, which he thought was the critical point to winning the race.
 
“It’s never easy to have Lewis attacking flat out behind," Bottas said.
 
"The main thing for me was to focus on my own doing and not going for the silly mistakes, trying to push too hard and I managed to keep it together.
 
“I think the start was the most critical point, I think Lewis had a better getaway from the line.
 
“I was perhaps too cautious off the line, just tried to prevent any wheelspin or anything, so then I had to defend a bit into Turn 1 and Turn 2, but it was nice and clean and fair, and I enjoyed that.”