Valtteri Bottas "saved" by Sochi rain but chance missed to join Lewis Hamilton on the podium

Verstappen and Bottas in Russia — Photo: © LAT Images

Russian Grand Prix

Bottas "saved" by Sochi rain but chance missed to join Hamilton on the podium

Finn finished fifth which was not on the cards early on

Ian Parkes

Sunday 26 September 2021 20:08

Valtteri Bottas has revealed his Russian Grand Prix was "saved" by the late rain that caused chaos and shook up the order.

From 16th on the grid after taking a second successive power unit, the Finn struggled to make any progress, at one stage being comfortably overtaken by Max Verstappen following the Red Bull driver's last-place start.

Bottas even received a 'hurry up' message from Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff as he languished out of the points.

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It was only when the rain started to fall with a few laps remaining that the situation came to Bottas as he was one of the first to pit onto intermediate tyres, allowing him to claim fifth place behind race-winning team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

"It was much more difficult to progress today than I thought," said Bottas. "Always when I got close in the last sector or the middle sector I had big understeer.

"For some cars, it just seemed easier for some reason. It was really, really tricky and having the rain saved us that we could get some points."

Asked about his lack of defence against Verstappen, in particular, he added: "I didn't really see him coming.

"I need to have a look at what more I could have done but he was progressing much better than us through the field.

"I think he passed me pretty easily. He could then overtake the cars ahead of me and I had no chance."

Bottas felt, though, he could have joined Hamilton on the podium only to be told to do one more lap.

"That was the key [to a result], when to stop," said Bottas. "To be honest, I asked to stop one lap earlier but the team wasn't ready and I had to go around one more time.

"With that, I could have been on the podium. I was still one of the first ones to stop which was good, it was the right call."