Mercedes clarifies Bottas overtake mode "miscommunication"
Toto Wolff has explained the radio exchange with Valtteri Bottas over using a push mode to try and catch Lewis Hamilton in the opening stages of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Mercedes swept to its sixth victory of the 2020 Formula 1 season as Hamilton led Bottas home for a 1-2 finish, extending its lead over Red Bull in the drivers' championship.
Hamilton led every lap of the race at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, having kept Bottas at bay in the opening stages before controlling the gap at the front.
Bottas was heard asking if he had "one push" available to try and catch Hamilton in the early part of the race when he sat just outside the one-second DRS window.
Bottas' engineer informed the Finn that he did, but "we agreed not to use it against each other", to which Bottas replied: "I never heard of that."
Mercedes team principal Wolff explained after the race that it had been agreed to keep the high-power overtake modes in reserve to defend from Red Bull's Max Verstappen behind.
"There's no rules in place between the two drivers, they are allowed and free to race," Wolff said when asked by Motorsport.com about the exchange.
"In the morning, we agreed and discussed that we obviously have a limited amount of overtakes, and that we would try not to use them against each other, or the last one against each other.
"There is always the risk of needing it against Max or any other car. This is what we were referring to.
"[With] Valtteri obviously, this was maybe a miscommunication between him and some of the guys. That's why we reiterated it."
Bottas said it was "impossible" to say if he was quicker than Hamilton at any point in the race as he ran in the dirty air of his teammate, forcing him to use up more of his tyres.
He felt his best chance to overtake Hamilton came at the start, when he got a better exit out of La Source, only to be forced to ease off to avoid running into the rear of the sister Mercedes.
"I tried to use the opportunities," Bottas said. "The first one was the race start, out of Turn 1, I got a better run than Lewis, so I had to actually lift to not run into the back of him.
"I tried to leave a bit of a gap to get momentum of the tow, but today, I was surprised how small the tow I had was with the tailwind into Turn 5 made a difference.
"Actually [it was] the same on the restart, I was hoping to catch him, but I just couldn't."
The result has left Bottas trailing Hamilton by 50 points in the drivers' championship after seven rounds, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen sitting three clear.
Related video
Previous article
Gasly thought he would hit wall in Perez fight at Spa
Next article
Verstappen: Managing tyres made Belgian GP "boring"
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Event | Belgian GP |
| Drivers | Valtteri Bottas |
| Teams | Mercedes |
| Author | Luke Smith |
How Do Drivers Stay Fit For F1 Grand Prix?
Ronnie Peterson and Jochen Rindt Tribute
#ThinkingForward with Juan Pablo Montoya
The 'new' F1 drivers who need to improve at Imola
After a pandemic-hit winter of seat-swapping, F1 kicked off its season with several new faces in town, other drivers adapting to new environments, and one making a much-anticipated comeback. Ben Anderson looks at who made the most of their opportunity and who needs to try harder…
The delay that quashed Aston Martin’s last F1 venture
Aston Martin’s only previous foray into Formula 1 in the late 1950s was a short-lived and unsuccessful affair. But it could have been so different, says Nigel Roebuck.
Verstappen exclusive: Why lack of titles won't hurt Red Bull's ace
Max Verstappen’s star quality in Formula 1 is clear. Now equipped with a Red Bull car that is, right now, the world title favourite and the experience to support his talent, could 2021 be the Dutchman’s year to topple the dominant force of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes?
Is Formula 1 as good as it has ever been now?
For many, many years Formula 1 has strived to do and to be better on all fronts. With close competition, a growing fanbase, a stable political landscape and rules in place to encourage sustainability, 2021 is on course to provide an unexpected peak
How Williams’ new structure adheres to a growing F1 trend
Williams held out against the tide for many years but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, the age of the owner-manager is long gone
When a journeyman driver's F1 career lasted just 800m
Nikita Mazepin’s Formula 1 debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix lasted mere corners before he wiped himself out in a shunt, but his financial backing affords him a full season. Back in 1993 though, Marco Apicella was an F1 driver for just 800m before a first corner fracas ended his career. Here’s the story of his very short time at motorsport’s pinnacle.
How Raikkonen's rapid rise stalled his teammate's F1 career climb
Kimi Raikkonen's emergence as a Formula 1 star in his rookie campaign remains one of the legendary storylines from 2001, but his exploits had an unwanted impact on his Sauber teammate's own prospects. Twenty years on from his first F1 podium at the Brazilian GP, here's how Nick Heidfeld's career was chilled by the Iceman.
The nightmare timing that now hinders Mercedes
Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton took victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix despite, for a change, not having the quickest car. But any hopes of developing its W12 to surpass Red Bull's RB16B in terms of outright speed could not have come at a worse time.
