Mercedes 'won't dominate' an F1 race this season - Bottas
Mercedes 'won't dominate' an F1 race this season - Bottas
Valtteri Bottas has ruled out any team dominating Formula 1 races this year due to the close-fought battle between Mercedes and Red Bull.
Bottas was involved in a tough scrap with Max Verstappen at Imola last year during a season in which Mercedes was in a class of its own.
But the Finn and the team are back at the Italian venue this term knowing they now face a vastly improved Red Bull.
After the duel between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in the season-opening race in Bahrain, in which Mercedes came out on top, Bottas has played down the chances of either team running away with race victories this year.
"I think dominating a grand prix this year will be difficult, seeing the starting point," said Bottas.
"You never know. We have only seen the cars on one track and we have seen quite big swings in performance from track to track. You never know but I cannot see anyone dominating this season."
Whilst Red Bull showed blistering pace in qualifying in Bahrain, both drivers suffered from reliability issues during the race itself, with Sergio Perez grinding to a halt on the formation lap before managing to get going again, and Verstappen experiencing a differential issue.
With 22 races yet to be contested, Bottas highlighted the potential significance of reliability in determining the championship outcome but hesitated to suggest Mercedes was in a stronger position.
"In terms of the first grand prix, we were reliable but in the long term, when the cars are getting older and the engines are going to have more and more races on them, we are going to find out if we have issues or not," added Bottas.
"It can be a good asset to have. We have reliability and being consistent and always being in the points and minimising DNFs. It has always been a high priority at Mercedes.
"This year for sure will be as well. It is not only the performance, but it is also that that counts."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
EXCLUSIVE: 'Sports should be above' politics claims F1 icon
- Just now
Sky Pundit suggests F1 star ‘DETRIMENTAL’ to nation
- 1 hour ago
F1 Flags Explained: What do the different colours mean?
- 2 hours ago
McLaren boss explains why FIA REVERSED Norris F1 penalty
- 2 hours ago
FIA CANCEL important drivers' meeting after huge drama in China
- Today 12:53
F1 News Today: Red Bull and Verstappen dealt title blow as Red Bull dominated in sprint qualifying
- Today 12:16
Related news
Wolff 'p*****' by Verstappen error as star makes Mercedes debut
Hamilton to open Wolff talks at Mercedes amid Ferrari F1 move uncertainty
Mercedes announce MAJOR £5.9 million loss in profits
Verstappen admits new Mercedes relationship with F1 future update
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860