By Daily Sports on October 5, 2018

Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas says he has been told he could be asked again to cede position to Lewis Hamilton until the drivers’ championship is decided.

The Finn was asked to move over for his team-mate to win last weekend’s Russian Grand Prix, which took Hamilton closer towards a fifth world title.

Bottas said Mercedes had made it clear they may ask him to do it again, adding: “And it’s what I expect.”

He said any decision would be made on a “case-by-case basis”.

Bottas added: “It depends on the situation. Last weekend, if Lewis did not have the blisters on his tyres, maybe I would have been allowed to win.”

Mercedes made the call to ask Bottas to let Hamilton by because the Briton had blistered tyres having attacked and overtaken title rival Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari.

Vettel had got ahead because Mercedes had erroneously delayed Hamilton’s pit stop by a lap, allowing the Ferrari to make up enough time to be ahead when Hamilton rejoined.

Mercedes wanted Bottas between Hamilton and Vettel, who was running close behind the Mercedes drivers, to make it easier to protect the Briton’s damaged tyres.

Hamilton’s victory gave him a 50-point advantage in the championship, with a maximum of 125 points still available over the remaining five races, starting in Japan this weekend.

Hamilton is conflicted on the subject of team orders, saying he could see both sides of the argument on a situation that has caused controversy.

“I’m split. On one side, I feel one way about it and on another, I feel differently,” he said.

“It’s a team sport. I remember watching it with Michael (Schumacher) and Rubens (Barrichello),” he added, a reference to the infamous 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, when Barrichello moved over to hand victory to his Ferrari team-mate on the run to the chequered flag, despite it being only the sixth race of the year and the German already having won four of the first five races.

Bottas said: “I know what I have to do and I am a team player. As a team, it was the best result we could hope for. I would do it again. It doesn’t mean I am not a racer.

“I just have to accept it because of what happened earlier in the season. I can’t fight any more for the world championship and we need to play as a team if we really want to win the title. That’s how it is.”

•Adapted from a BBCSports.com report. Photo shows Valtteri Bottas

Source Daily Sports

Posted October 5, 2018

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