“Why doesn’t anyone listen to me?” Thick air at Mercedes

The world champion team was taken by surprise by the Red Bull strategy. While Mercedes relied on a stop with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, the bulls brought Max Verstappen into the pits twice to change tires - with the better ending for Verstappen. This time Red Bull had the better strategy after Mercedes was able to hit it in Barcelona.

This caused unrest in the German team in France. Bottas, who had to give up his third place to Sergio Perez, complained loudly at the finish and radioed to the crew that he had opted for a two-stop strategy. “Why doesn’t anyone listen to me? I told you it was a two-stop race,” rumbled the 3-year-old Bottas. Wolff shows understanding His boss, Mercedes Motorsport Director Toto Wolff, then showed understanding for the Finn's anger: “I liked that! Finally he let it out.” Wolff then admitted: “We lost the race at the pit stop. We thought we had enough protection from the undercut, which wasn't true. The second stop seemed like too much of a risk because the race got in the way. We misjudged that today.” “I felt like a lame duck” Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas did not agree with his team's strategy. © APA/afp / NICOLAS TUCAT

Bottas was still pissed after the race: “I just wanted to bring the car home. The last stint wasn't fun. Of course I tried to get on the podium, but my tires were completely gone. So I had no chance, I felt like a lame duck.”

What's next for Bottas? Bottas is under increasing pressure after disappointing performances at Mercedes so far this season. According to media reports, he will be replaced by Williams driver George Russell at the end of the season at the latest. This could also be a reason why the Finns' nerves are gradually fraying. This year he was often criticized by Wolff for his lack of consistency. In addition, Bottas has been in the shadow of Lewis Hamilton within the team for years.

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“Why doesn’t anyone listen to me?” Thick air at Mercedes

Mercedes suffered its next defeat in the title fight at Le Castellet at the weekend. This caused heated emotions.

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