Valtteri Bottas admitted he was concerned his Mercedes wouldn’t last until the end of the race after being told to avoid using the cars.
Both Mercedes drivers were heard being told on their radios to take care of their gearboxes throughout the race.“We had to manage the car quite a lot,” said Bottas. “I couldn’t really use all the kerbs and at some point I was slightly worried if everything would all be OK.
“But I’m glad we managed to finish both cars and I think in the team standings we are leading so that’s a very good start.”
Bottas also came under sustained pressure from team mate Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth after receiving a five-second penalty for causing a collision with Alexander Albon.
“There was quite a bit of pressure all through the race,” Bottas said. “There were so many chances for Lewis to get the lead if I make even a small mistake and he was really quick today. But I managed to keep it together and control the race from my side.”
However despite a series of Safety Car interruptions, Bottas held on to take the win.
“No better way to start the season,” added Bottas, who also won last year’s season-opening race in Australia.
Don't miss anything new from RaceFans
Follow RaceFans on social media:
2020 F1 season
- Pictures: Wrecked chassis from Grosjean’s Bahrain fireball crash to go on display
- Bottas vs Rosberg: Hamilton’s Mercedes team mates compared after 78 races each
- F1 revenues fell by $877 million in Covid-struck 2020 season
- Hamilton and Mercedes finally announce new deal for 2021 season
- F1 audience figures “strong” in 2020 despite dip in television viewers
Chaitanya
5th July 2020, 17:37
Repeat of last year.
sato113 (@sato113)
5th July 2020, 17:55
Every race Mercedes say they fear for their car reliability yet nothing happens. Crying wolf I think…
Nik (@nickelodeon81)
5th July 2020, 18:01
Nothing happens? Were you unconscious in 2019 when Mercedes raced this track?
Esploratore (@esploratore)
5th July 2020, 22:51
Austria 2019? I remember a slow mercedes there, maybe you mean 2018, where bottas retired, mercedes took a bad VSC decision ruining hamilton’s race, and then he retired as well probably due to a fuel pump and bottas due to a hydraulic problem?
Chaitanya
5th July 2020, 18:04
33.33% of cars running PU manufactured by Merc had to be retired due to PU issues.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
5th July 2020, 18:29
100% of those teams are racing with a PU designed to be integrated on the W11 EQ chassis to the last millimetre. That doesn’t mean the Mercedes PU is unreliable. However, its installation on a different chassis could have made it so.
mystic one (@mysticus)
5th July 2020, 20:32
@tifoso1989 that was the most unintelligent comment ever i guess… what do you expect a manufacturer do? give them the entire car’s blueprints?
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
5th July 2020, 21:21
@mysticus
I think you have missed the point completely. The point is a PU issue that occurs on a customer team doesn’t necessary mean that it would occur on Mercedes works team. We know that Mercedes cars in recent years are quite reliable compared to Ferrari/RBR and @sato113 do have a point about the show mounted by Mercedes. I remember RBR doing similar things in 2011 when Guillaume Rocquelin (Rocky) used to tell Vettel that the car would break in any moment of the race, however Vettel would still finish the race 20s clear of the rest and doing the fastest lap.
I never said Mercedes must supply their chassis design secrets to the customer teams. Please don’t put words in my mouth.
mystic one (@mysticus)
7th July 2020, 21:07
@tifoso1989 i think you dont know what you are talking about, you claim the engine is designed for merc chasis specifically, what did you expect sherlock? it is not designed for your pram obviously… someone can design a car around the measurements of the engine, and customer has issues cooling lubricating etc doesnt mean it is due to mercedes design! merc tells/gives them the exact measurements and exact requirements of the engine cooling lubrication repair manuals etc! it is customer’s problem… not necessarily mercedes designing engine only for themselves… on road cars, same engine/gearboxes used in variety of form factors without issues… as long as you are given design requirements like cooling lubrication service intervals etc it s your job to follow it…
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
8th July 2020, 9:39
@mysticus
I never said that it’s Mercedes fault if their customers have to adapt the PU to their chassis and TBH I don’t know why you have understood so. The point I was debating is that a PU issue on a customer team doesn’t necessary mean the same issue will happen in Mercedes works team for the exact same reasons you have cited!
Nik (@nickelodeon81)
5th July 2020, 18:36
As an engineer I can tell you 100% of those teams know the dimensions of that PU to within millimeters, even less. Specifications are provided very early even for customer teams. That provides no advantage however. This isn’t a bunch of kids trying to fit a square block in a round hole.
Adam (@rocketpanda)
5th July 2020, 19:13
Have to admit Bottas looked very good today. Strong in qualifying and in the race stayed ahead despite Hamilton within DRS for quite some time. Now thanks to Hamilton’s penalty he’s got a reasonable cushion of points ahead of arguably his only major title rival.
Then again, we’ve been here before last year and that good start slowly faded away. Though this chance has to be the strongest he’s ever had – the car is supreme, Ferrari are nowhere, Red Bull still look slightly adrift, and as long as Bottas’s reliability holds in a shortened season it may not be easy for Hamilton to overcome that points deficit. Good luck to him, I rather hope he wins it.
stefano (@alfa145)
5th July 2020, 23:04
you mean the kerbs @keithcollantine (first sentence typo)
pastaman (@)
6th July 2020, 4:55
Bottas 3.0!