Bottas looks back on entertaining duel with Ricciardo

Valtteri Bottas says his duel for position with Daniel Ricciardo during the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday was on the “limit” of the allowed regulations, as both drivers jostled for supremacy in an entertaining battle which ended with the Finn coming out on top.

Bottas didn’t enjoy his weekend at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, as he only managed a sixth-fastest time in qualifying, and although he made it up to finish fourth in the GP, he was never in contention for the win alongside Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Charles Leclerc.

The highlight of his race was the fight with Ricciardo, who defended superbly around the midway point to nullify the attack from the Mercedes driver. After some near-misses for Bottas, he eventually overtook the Australian on lap 40, and remained ahead of him until he crossed the finish line in fourth.

Bottas has no complaints about the aggressivity of the duel, saying it’s how he likes his racing to be.

“With Ricciardo, it was a good fight, at the limit of the regulation," the Finn said.

"I didn't complain because I like to run like that, even hard. He defended himself very well, it certainly didn't make my life easy, but it was corrected and he defended himself within the limits of the regulation."

Bottas started the season superbly and won two of the opening four races, but since the Azerbaijan GP his form has dipped slightly as Hamilton has won every race since. The Brit currently holds a 29-point lead over his team-mate in the driver’s championship.

Related

More F1 news

Latest F1 news

George Russell reacts to devastating Bahrain Grand Prix retirement: 'I'm pretty used to this'

• Yesterday 22:27

Fernando Alonso reveals 'wild' Aston Martin Bahrain GP and being faster than Lewis Hamilton

• Yesterday 21:44

Lewis Hamilton claims Ferrari error cost him Bahrain Grand Prix victory chance

• Yesterday 20:54

Christian Horner congratulates Max Verstappen and Red Bull after his RBPT project achieves first F1 win

• Yesterday 19:58

FIA release statement after F1 cars’ ‘software error' sparks Bahrain Grand Prix chaos

• Yesterday 18:54

F1 Bahrain Grand Prix 2026 results: Final classification with all penalties applied from Sepang

• Yesterday 17:55