The penalty imposed on Valtteri Bottas will make the Finn unable to enjoy the position he achieves in the sprint qualifying race, so Mercedes will prioritize the needs of Lewis Hamilton.
Valtteri Bottas He did an exceptional job this Friday in qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, but he will not be able to maximize his chances of a good result after being sanctioned as a result of the change of his engine.
This will force him to start from the back of the grid in Sunday’s race regardless of what he achieves today in the sprint qualifying race, so it is within the logic that Mercedes Think of the best possible result for Lewis Hamilton, immersed in the world title dispute with Max Verstappen.
“Valtteri will go to the back of the grid anyway on Sunday”
“It’s difficult in general when you have to carry out the team’s orders. We are all runners and we don’t want to see those things. Bottas should be where he is on his merits », reflects Toto Wolff when asked about this matter.
“But in any case, Valtteri will go all the way to the back on Sunday anyway. So we have to see how the start develops because there is not much to discuss, just be careful in the first corner and then see where they are, ”says the Mercedes director.
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When asked about a possible change of positions in favor of Hamilton if both Mercedes lead the race comfortably, Toto Wolff admitted that possibility. “Yes, presumably”, he just said.
The sprint qualifying race, which will start this Saturday at 4:30 p.m., will distribute three, two and a point the first three classified, in addition to ordering the starting grid for Sunday’s race. Right now, Max Verstappen is leading the championship three points clear of Lewis Hamilton.