2022

Supporting role at Mercedes affected Bottas mentally

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas has opened up about the mental damage he took when he was forced to help Lewis Hamilton for the first time at Mercedes. Despite exhibiting flashes of brilliance, Bottas was never able to beat Hamilton throughout the course of a season, and was frequently forced to settle for second best. “I would say overall, yes,” The finn said in an end-of-season interview when asked if he felt he was treated properly during his time at Mercedes. “Especially always in the beginnings of the season until the halfway point for sure… very fairly. “If there was a points gap, then naturally people and the team started to think it’s most likely going to be this driver who’s going to fight for the championship and not this one,” Bottas added. “I think just unconsciously, it can change the behaviour of some people and decision making, et cetera.” The first blow to Bottas’ psyche came during his second season with the team, specifically at the 2018 Russian Grand Prix, when he was requested to give up a win to help Hamilton win the championship. “There’s been also very clear cases that I’ve been in a support role, and I would say, the first time when that happened, probably 2018, it was really hard to accept,” added Bottas. “It was pretty tough. “That wasn’t good for me mentally, the space I was in mentally. As time goes on, you accept it, if that’s the situation, that you’re behind in the points.” Bottas was asked if he is looking forward to being a team leader at Alfa Romeo. “Absolutely. It’s one of the big reasons why [I made] this change, and I think I’m going to enjoy it.” “I’m definitely ready to take big responsibility. It’s going to be crazy to think it’s my 10th season in Formula 1 [this year] so I’m sure I can put into good use everything I’ve learned with Mercedes and Williams over there [with Alfa].”

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Hamilton snubs messages from new FIA President

Kevin Peterson04 mins

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the newly elected head of the FIA, claims he has reached out to Lewis Hamilton but has not received a response. Since losing the Formula One title to Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton has kept a low profile and avoided the media. In the aftermath of the controversial race, the Briton was knighted at Windsor Castle and took part in the Mercedes team’s Constructors’ title celebrations at Brackely, but he has otherwise remained under the radar, avoiding the FIA’s prize-giving ceremony in Paris and avoiding social media. Sulayem told Spain’s Marca at the start of the Dakar rally-raid in Saudi Arabia this weekend that he hasn’t received a response from the seven-time world champion after sending him countless messages. “I sent him messages, yes, I think he is not 100 percent ready yet and I understand his position,” Sulayem said. According to the FIA president, Hamilton broke F1’s sporting rules by not attending last month’s gala in Paris, and he has promised to hold him accountable. “But there are also rules that must be accepted by all drivers. For me, there is no particular team or driver, out of respect for the integrity of the FIA. “But I cannot judge until I have all the data and the first thing on my agenda is to thoroughly analyse what happened in Abu Dhabi. “In the end, we are all human and the stress and pressure were there, so I think it will all work out. You have to look more to the future than to the past.” Despite a flurry of reports that Hamilton may call it a day in Formula One, Sulayem is skeptical that the 103-time Grand Prix champion will retire. “No, I don’t think so, they are rumours…” added Ben Sulayem. “Has he declared that he will not return? No. “When you are a driver, you speak for yourself and not what others say about you. “I trust that this is not the case, Lewis is an important part of the sport and of F1, his achievements. Verstappen is there… I am sure we will find a very exciting F1 next season.”

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F1 bookie pays out on bets for Lewis Hamilton to win 2021 championship

Kevin Peterson03 mins

Paddy Power, a well-known bookmaker, has declared “justice is served” after paying out on bets on Lewis Hamilton to win the 2021 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship. Following Lewis Hamilton’s loss in the 2021 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship, Paddy Power has decided to pay up to gamblers who bet on the seven-time World Champion adding to his score at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021. Hamilton dominated the race until a late Safety Car allowed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to take a chance on new tyres. With a lap to go, Race Control brought in the Safety Car to clear lapped cars out of the way of Verstappen, and Hamilton lost the race and the championship as a result, as Verstappen raced by on the final lap. The race’s contentious conclusion generated outrage, with Mercedes filing protests in the immediate aftermath due to the way the Safety Car period ended. Both appeals were dismissed, with Mercedes opting out of the process. Normally, such a turn of events would leave gamblers shaking their heads in disbelief, but Paddy Power chose to compensate both drivers after calling the season finale a “sporting injustice.” “Max Verstappen needed a miracle to win, and one duly arrived in the form of a dodgy decision from the race organisers who appeared to rip up the rulebook and go rogue for the final lap of the race,” said a statement on their website. “We have decided to pay out on both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to win the World Drivers Championship. “And, for good measure, we’ve paid out on both Verstappen and Hamilton to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix too. “Consider justice served,” concluded the message.

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