Bottas luck is a 'bad joke'

Bottas luck is a 'bad joke'

Joas van Wingerden

Sunday 1 July 2018 18:51

Valtteri Bottas says his current run of rotten luck feels like a "bad joke" after his Mercedes failed him at the Austrian Grand Prix. The Finn qualified on pole in Spielberg but remains without a win in 2018 after hydraulic failure forced him to retire.

The Finn went from P1 to P4 on the opening lap, but ended it in second after an impressive recovery.

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Touring behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton, Bottas car failed him on lap 14 and the ensuing Virtual Safety Car would ultimately cost Hamilton as he eventually lost P1 thanks to his team failing to pit him.

Bottas has missed out on wins in China and Baku due to factors outside of his control, but remains determined to add to his three grand prix wins.

"The luck I'm having this year feels like a bit of a bad joke at the moment," he said.

"My start was not ideal; I had quite a bit of wheel spin and there was less grip than we expected, so I dropped a few places.

"Going into Turn 3, I could recover two places and was back in second place.

"After that the car felt strong, we were running well, but then I suddenly experienced a loss of hydraulic pressure.

"There was nothing I could have done to prevent the DNF. We need to investigate and find the cause of the issues we had today, but I'm sure we will recover from this result.

"I guess it was just not meant to be today – but one day it will be."