A stunned Valtteri Bottas said “I don’t know what just happened” after dominating the first race of the 2019 F1 season.
Bottas started from second on the grid and led the race almost from start to finish after passing team mate Lewis Hamilton within seconds of the start.“I don’t know what to say,” said Bottas. “The start was really good.
“It was definitely my best race ever. I don’t know what happened it just felt so good and everything was under control and the car was so good today. Truly enjoyable.”
Bottas scored a maximum 26 points after claiming the bonus point for fastest lap, which was awarded for the first time in 60 years. He told his team on the radio late in the race he was determined to take the extra point.
“I was, definitely,” he said. “That’s a new rule for this year and as I had a really strong pace I wanted to go for that in the end.
“It’s always a bit risky with worn tyres but it was worth it. But I’m just so happy and I can’t wait for the next race.”
Today’s victory is the fourth of Bottas’s career and his first since the final race of 2017. It means he leads the drivers’ championship for the first time in his career.
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Robbie (@robbie)
17th March 2019, 7:06
Fantastic VB. You did exactly as you needed to do. Keep it up.
AMG44 (@amg44)
17th March 2019, 7:10
Very happy for Bottas especially after the bad luck he suffered last season.
Lewis needs to work on his starts. Partly he lost the 2016 championship to Nico because of poor starts which pretty much decided the race.
bosyber (@bosyber)
17th March 2019, 7:18
Well, I underestimated VB a bit; good to see him on top of things this time around, nice to see nice guys win it.
Potsie (@potsie159)
17th March 2019, 7:32
I reckon the good feeding his missus has given him over the winter has helped Bottas immensely. First time I saw him this week I instantly thought he looked much healthier. The new greater driver weight allowance may have some impact this year I reckon. Well done VB, great drive.
toiago (@toiago)
17th March 2019, 12:29
@potsie159 He said so himself that this had been his best winter to date in F1 because he didn’t have to watch out for his weight anymore and could allow himself to have his natural build, resulting in a healthier, more positive off-season.
GechiChan (@gechichan)
17th March 2019, 7:36
it’s too early to tell, ofcourse, but maybe this car that everyone says it’s really fast but stiff and difficult to drive might suit Bottas better than Lewis…
Patrick (@anunaki)
17th March 2019, 8:27
Bottas sometimes seems to have something special on lower grip circuits. Today he had a great start and the car to dominate even Lewis.
Good job
Balue (@balue)
17th March 2019, 11:22
Awesome performance but still quite surprising
David BR (@david-br)
17th March 2019, 18:57
Obviously only because of the beard, but still, good job :OP