Valtteri Bottas admitted he was expecting much more from his Bahrain Grand Prix than a ninth place finish, and admitted the drive-through penalty handed out to him for colliding with Lewis Hamilton at the start compromised his race.
The Williams Martini Racing driver had made a good start at the Sakhir International Circuit, but clashed with Mercedes driver Hamilton at turn one, damaging his front wing and earning himself the penalty at the same time.
Bottas hopes that the difficult start to the season is over, and is hoping for better fortune going forward, starting next time out in China.
“I was expecting more from today and finishing ninth is a bit disappointing,” said Bottas. “I had a mega start, but unfortunately collided with Lewis in turn one which was a shame as it cost us both positions.
“The drive-through penalty then compromised our strategy a bit so it was always going to be difficult after that. I also damaged my front wing in that collision with a big piece missing which didn’t help our pace.
“The first two races of the season haven’t been great for us but we’re keeping upbeat and head to the next race hoping to make up for it.”
