Bottas: Tyres won't decide title battle with Ferrari

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Valtteri Bottas believes tyre management will subside to let outright performance define the outcome of the battle between Mercedes and Ferrari this year.

Ferrari has achieved a meaningful step forward this season, with Sebastian Vettel leading the championship after four rounds with two wins against two shared by Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

The Scuderia's SF70H has not only shown impressive speed but also the ability to better exploit its tyres compared to the German outfit's rubber-consuming W08.

But Bottas believes teams are still in learning mode with regard to Pirelli's 2017 compounds, and that more knowledge will help extract better performance from the new-spec cars.

"It's more difficult to master every compound for every tarmac, and how they behave," Bottas said in a an interview with Motorpsort.com.

"I think it's been always in F1 like that, but now that our car with Ferrari is so equal then small things like tyres [can decide the outcome].

"In the end it's the only thing in contact with the car and the ground. But my thinking in the future is it's going to be less and less speaking about the tyres.

"Once people and teams learn more about getting everything out of the tyres in the right windows in different conditions, then I think probably everyone is going to be equal in how they handle tyres.

"So there is going to be less speaking about tyres and it's going to be more about the cars, and setups and car development."

Bottas praises Ferrari for its level of performance this year and its mastering of Pirelli's compounds, believing that value has also been added to Formula 1's spectacle.

"They are managing their tyres at every single track on every Sunday and they've been very much on top of every compound of tyres.

"They've done very good job on that. And I think it's a very good challenge to try and beat them.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.