Bottas not getting a hearing at Mercedes: 'Can imagine how hard that is'

Valtteri Bottas complained about the strategy of his team but got no response. The Finn himself wanted a two-stop, but his team didn't want that. According to Ross Brawn, it is logical that the team sticks to their own plan.

Bottas grumbling

Even before Verstappen came in for his second pitstop, Bottas was frequently heard on the radio. The Finn felt he couldn't do enough on the hard tyre and hinted at a plan B. He wanted to make an extra stop and go on the attack. Mercedes however didn't go along with that, and Bottas was the victim.

''Valtteri has been having an extremely difficult time of late. He looked quite strong this weekend but was the biggest victim of Mercedes’ strategy. For a driver who probably had a view on what they should be doing, when the final analysis shows that that’s what they should have done, I can imagine how difficult that is,'' Brawn says in his analysis for Formula1.com.

Pressure on Mercedes

''I would say in fairness to Mercedes if you followed what drivers wanted regarding strategy, I think the success percentage would decrease. There are definitely occasions when a driver’s view should be followed but they are majorly outweighed by the team getting it right as they have all the information and, in Mercedes' case, they have engineers with more than 20 years of experience.''

Brawn does, however, enjoy the battle between Mercedes and Red Bull Racing. And years ahead of the new regulations, there is finally excitement in Formula One again, and pressure on Mercedes. ''It will be fascinating to see how they handle this pressure. It is the first time they have come under such pressure in seven years and the first time under Toto’s reign'', concludes the former top executive at Mercedes.