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Bottas: Was busy with my own race, I am not here to let people pass

Bottas: "Was busy with my own race, I am not here to let people pass"

09-05-2021 18:18 Last update: 23:41
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GPblog.com

Valtteri Bottas showed an unexpected side to the Spanish Grand Prix: Mercedes gave him a blatant team order over the radio when they told him to let Lewis Hamilton pass, but Bottas did not comply.

Bottas shows resistance during GP Spain

It's a side we don't often see from the Finn, who usually does what is asked of him by the team. But today he didn't see it coming and fought for his place. "I could have passed him earlier, but I was driving my own race," Bottas told Sky Sports.

He continued: "You have to take everything into account and I was trying to get Charles Leclerc out of my pit window so I could make an extra stop for an extra point, so I was mainly concerned with my own race.

"There wasn't much discussion about it otherwise. They said I shouldn't hold him up, but like I said, I was working on my own race and I'm not here to pass people. I'm here to race," Bottas said.