Wolff: Bottas missing killer instinct

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes that although Valtteri Bottas' recent performances have improved following his second-place finish in the Brazil Grand Prix, he still lacks the killer instinct required to get to the level of the likes of his team-mate, Lewis Hamilton.

In Brazil GP qualifying, the Hamilton crashed out and as a result had to start the race from the pitlane, which opened up the opportunity for Bottas to claim pole.

However, the Finn started poorly and allowed Sebastian Vettel to get past him going into the first corner. The Ferrari driver would go on to win the race, with his Mercedes rival in second, and Wolff thinks his driver just needs to be more ruthless on the track.

"Valtteri had a solid race. He lost it at the start," he told reporters.

"The initial getaway was good but there was too much wheelspin through the gears and if the gap is so close between the cars then there is not a lot in it.

"But you must not underestimate that in traffic against the Ferraris it was pretty difficult.

"You can see that at the end, when Ferrari switched the engine on, there was not much difference between the cars. Therefore you cannot expect easy overtakes."

Even though Hamilton kicked off proceedings from the pitlane, he put in a heroic effort to eventually finish fourth after making up 16 places, gaining plenty of plaudits in the process. This was in contrast to the reception for Bottas' performance, but Wolff thinks the Finn can improve if he develops his racing style.

"I think Lewis the whole year has been rock and roll, and Valtteri has recovered slowly but still needs the tick of a killer," he said.