Toto Wolff believes Valtteri Bottas will be going all out this weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to claim the victory that was so cruelly denied to him twelve months ago.
Bottas had taken over the lead after pitting under the safety car late in the day but found himself out of the race with just a handful of laps remaining due to a puncture, caused by debris on the start/finish straight of the Baku City Circuit.
The Finn has enjoyed a much stronger start to 2019 than he did last season with one win and two second places in the opening three races, while he was also the pole sitter last time out in China and Wolff, the Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, knows his driver will be ‘hungry’ for the win this weekend.
“Valtteri drove a strong race last year but a puncture denied him a well-deserved victory shortly before the end,” said Wolff. “He’s had a good start to this season and I’m sure he will be hungry to go for the points he didn’t get last year.”
Lewis Hamilton inherited the race victory from Bottas last season and comes into this weekends Azerbaijan Grand Prix on top of the Drivers’ Championship after winning the past two Grand Prix in Bahrain and China, and Wolff believes the reigning World Champion will be looking to become the first two-time winner at Baku.
“Unlike last year, Lewis heads to Baku leading the Championship and will undoubtedly be looking to repeat his win from 2018,” said Wolff.
