Valtteri Bottas: 'A day that in a way sums up my season'

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Valtteri Bottas reckons his miserable French Grand Prix was a reflection of a season in which the Mercedes driver has seen his fair amount of bad luck.

Bottas was running alongside Sebastian Vettel right after the start as the pair battled for position into the first corner.

The Finn appeared to have the upper hand over his rival, only to punted into a spin by the Ferrari and its Vettel's misjudged braking.

The collision brought out the safety car and forced Bottas to limp back to the pits with a left rear puncture. The remainder of his afternoon was all about making up lost ground, an effort that brought him back up to P7.

"That was a shame because we had a strong car today as Lewis' result shows. But my race was lost in Turn One," said a very disappointed Bottas.

"I was on the outside going into it and I knew that keeping that line would put me on the inside for Turn Two.

"Then suddenly I got a hit from behind, had a puncture and damaged my floor. After that it was difficult as the car was quite damaged and I could feel the lack of rear end."

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Bottas eventually had to stop for a second time, 14 laps from the checkered flag, and found himself thereafter racing Haas' Kevin Magnussen for sixth, but losing out on that mid-field battle.

"I was sliding around and had to do a second pit stop which was unfortunately slow so we lost more time there."

Never one to feel defeated for long, Bottas chose to accept the cards he had been dealt and focus on the outright good speed of his Silver Arrows W09, and on the belief that his time will come once again.

"I guess today was just not my day; in a way it sums up my season so far," he said.

"But there are some positives - we were strong as a team, although unfortunately we could not turn that into a perfect points result.

"I also set the fastest lap of the race despite the condition of the car. I'll keep my head down, work hard and hopefully the luck will turn around at some point - I think it's about time. "

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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.