Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas is expecting Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix to produce more drama than last year, when Nico Rosberg cruised to victory from pole position, and says drivers will not be put off by the track’s reputation.
Last year, despite driver complaints about the safety of the Baku circuit, 18 of 22 cars finished the challenging anti-clockwise track, which runs along the shores of the Caspian Sea and around the walls of the medieval old town.
“We got kind of lucky,” Bottas told a news conference yesterday.
“There was not much action.
“It’s a track where, normally, things will happen, so my guess is that we’re going to see a bit more of a mess than before.”
In 2016, Bottas’s Mercedes teammate, title contender Lewis Hamilton, started the race in 10th after clipping the barriers during qualifying, leaving his main rival Nico Rosberg on pole, and able to cruise to victory in a subdued race.
Haas driver Romain Grosjean agreed that this year’s race should be more open. “Rosberg last year was far ahead and Lewis was at the back with various issues, so there weren’t many fights around the field.”
During last year’s Baku qualifying, Bottas, then with Williams, registered the highest speed ever recorded in a Formula One session, reaching 373 km/h (234 mph) on what is the longest stretch of any race on the calendar.
The Finn drove superbly to claim victory on the street-style circuit in Sochi, Russia, in April, but, perhaps demonstrating Mercedes’ inconsistencies, last month his teammate Hamilton all but disappeared on a similar track, in Monaco.
“It’s definitely a challenge here, it’s one of those places like Monaco or Singapore that there’s places where you can’t afford any kind of mistakes,” Bottas said.
“You’re going so close to the walls and it’s sometimes even like touching them. That’s always a challenge... You need to take some risks, and can’t lose focus at all.”
Hamilton and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel each have three wins from seven races so far this season.
Bottas keen for long-term Mercedes deal
Valtteri Bottas made clear yesterday that he is keen to secure a long-term future with Mercedes and is not speaking to any other F1 teams about 2018 and beyond.
The Finn, who joined Mercedes last December as replacement for retired 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, said he felt no pressure in not having a contract beyond 2017.
“I feel normal, because every single year I’ve been in Formula One I was in the same situation at this time of the year, as I had no idea, at this point, what I was going to do the following year,” said Bottas, who has had a pole position and a race victory this year in his opening seven Grands Prix with the team.
“So, for me, it’s a normal situation.”
Media and paddock speculation about Bottas’s future began earlier this week when Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff said the driver was in a “uncomfortable situation” and added that the was in hurry to offer him a contract extension.
Bottas knows Wolff well, and vice-versa, as the Austrian was his manager before he joined Mercedes. “I don’t know when I will know,” sad Bottas. “The time line is quite flexible, but, like I said, there’s no rush.
“The discussions will be open soon, because as a driver, at some point, it’s always nice to know what you’re going to do next year.
“But it’s still early days and for sure I’m keen to have a long-term relationship with Mercedes. Every day I work hard to make the most out of every single situation I’m in.”
Bottas is third in the drivers’ championship ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend.
Mercedes’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas speaks during the drivers press conference ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit in Baku yesterday. (AFP)
