Bottas not ruling himself out of title fight

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Valtteri Bottas isn't giving up on winning the 2017 world title despite a deficit in the championship which increased against his rivals in Spa.

The Mercedes driver looked set for a podium finish in Sunday's Belgian GP before a Safety Car period bunched up the field and ultimately led to both Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen overtaking the Finn.

Bottas now sits 41 points behind Sebastian Vettel in the championship while Lewis Hamilton heads his team mate by 34 points.

But the ground lost in Belgium hasn't led to lost title hopes for the Mercedes driver.

Bottas disappointed after missing out on Spa podium

"If I perform well because it is eight races with a big amount of points," he said.

"The guys in front of me in the championship haven’t had any DNF, hopefully of course not for us, but maybe it can happen.

"But I don’t think that way. I don’t let those negative things come to my mind."

As Vettel and Hamilton detach themselves from Bottas in the standings, the specter of team orders at Mercedes is slowly emerging.

"For sure at some point I understand if the team wants to go for the championship and really make sure that at least one of the guys wins but it’s a bit early.

"We need to go race by race and every race there are different situations."

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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.