Alfa Romeo’s Finnish driver had a dark day.
Valtteri Bottas tried to set off on slicks. EPA / AOP
Valtteri Bottas The Austrian sprint race will go down in the notebooks with a tire choice unlike any other.
Alfa Romeo started with a medium tire compound suitable for dry weather, while everyone else had intermediate tires that were better suited to the conditions.
Viaplay’s F1 interviewer Mervi Kallio asked the Finnish driver a tough question right at the start of the interview.
– Why the hell did you go with medium tires when everyone else did? on the internet (with intermediate tires)?
– Why not? Bottas immediately hit the counter ball.
– There was nothing to lose. That (tyre choice) needs to be decided much earlier. We tried that if the rain stopped and the track started to dry. But the rain didn’t stop and that’s why the tire didn’t work, Bottas continued.
The team therefore played sunk rich and poor. Understand the choice.
– You only lost one place, Bottas, who started from grid 19, reminded.
Bottas defended the choice of tires,
– I think it was good to try it. Similarly, during the race it was a good tactic to try to stay on the track with intermediate tires. If something had happened, we would have been in a better position, the Finnish driver who finally finished last said.
For tomorrow’s race in Austria, Bottas will start from grid 14. The goal is to get into the top ten.
– Access to points is possible. Let’s try to come up with something for tactics to make everything run smoothly. Maybe those points can come, Bottas said.