Valtteri Bottas feels that Mercedes AMG Motorsport have work to do to ensure that their cars are able to perform in the high temperatures which the team experienced during the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend.
The race was Mercedes’ worst of the season so far, ending their streak of eight consecutive race wins. Bottas was able to hold on to his third place on the grid to finish on the podium. His team-mate Lewis Hamilton also complained of the difficult conditions, which resulted him finishing in fifth.
“I think we made the most of it today. We expected this race to be tricky, but it turned out to be even more difficult than we predicted,” said Bottas.
“We had to do lots of lifting and coasting and couldn’t use all engines modes to keep the engine from overheating.
“So, we couldn’t really race properly, and I had to manage temperatures for the majority of the race. It made both defending and attacking very difficult.”
He went on to say that although they weren’t able to finish with the result they would have liked, they can still learn from what happened, and use this knowledge to ensure they are as prepared as possible for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in a fortnight.
“But you have to look at the positives – I got some good points out of this weekend and I don’t think there was much difference in terms of race pace. So, it isn’t all bad. We’ll investigate and hopefully come back stronger at Silverstone.”
