Bottas trusts Mercedes' approach to team orders

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Valtteri Bottas believes that if the time comes to implement team orders at Mercedes, his role will be dealt with in a fair way by his team.

Lewis Hamilton's defeat at Spa at the hands of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel still allowed the Brit to maintain his lead in the championship standings over his arch-rival.

On the eve of the Italian Grand Prix, Bottas trails his team mate by 87 points, a deficit that could soon justify team orders at the Silver Arrows squad, a prospect that he hopes would not rule him out of an outright win if circumstances allowed it.

"For sure it will be different, in terms of how you approach the weekend, but I think the team would still support both of us a lot," he said on Thursday in Monza.

"If I would have the pace to win a race, by pure speed, if I'm about to win a race, it's up to the team to look at the situation.

Wolff looks at Mercedes 'obvious deficits' after Spa defeat

"I don't think, in anyway, I would completely lose the freedom to win the race if I'm able to do so.

"It depends on the situation: if there are clear points or way to avoid me or Lewis to lose points, we'll see how to do it.

"It will always depend on the situation and I do trust the team that they have respect for both drivers and won't do anything too harsh.''

Mercedes has admitted that Ferrari's SF71-H currently has the upper hand over the German outfit's W09. But according to Bottas, the team's steely determination has remained intact in the face of defeat.

"It definitely hasn't changed the dynamics in the team,'' insisted the Finn.

"That's actually motivating us even more than before, knowing that we need to work hard, we need to improve because we want to win.

"It's not like this wasn't the case before, but when the team had the best car we set our own targets for how much we needed to improve every race. Now the goal is simpler a quicker car and a quicker team.

"That obviously motivates us more, but I can't see a different spirit or different dynamics, we're still working flat out."

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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.