Bottas will rely on 'the man in the mirror' to solve issues

©Mercedes

Valtteri Bottas plans on consulting with "the man in the mirror" to solve the quandary posed by the winning streak of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Bottas built an edge over the five-time world champion at Silverstone, launching his race from pole and leading proceedings only for circumstances and strategy to tilt the balance once again in favour of Hamilton.

The Brit conquered on home turf his seventh win of the season while Bottas' tally remains painfully stuck at just two victories.

Queried on whether his teammate's supremacy should encourage him to follow Nico Rosberg's method of dealing with the man on the other side of the garage by regularly consulting with a sports psychologist, like the 2016 world champion did at the peak of his inner team battles with Hamilton, Bottas insisted he was well equipped to manage his mind on his own.

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"I don’t think it would work for me. Every athlete, every person is individual," Bottas said.

"Some need some outside support. I have plenty of good people around me I can talk to and for me it’s the man in the mirror that gives the answers if I have hard times or if I doubt.

"So I plan to solve it myself. I don’t really see a gain from that at the moment. I’m not Nico. I know what is best for me."

Bottas' raw deal on Sunday came when a Safety Car period threw a spanner into the works of his two-stop strategy.

Hamilton took advantage of the race's four-lap neutralization on lap 20 to undertake his single stop while preserving the lead inherited three laps earlier when his team mate changed tyres.

However, when all was said and done, Bottas admitted that ruling out beforehand a one-stop option has been a mistake.

"One stop honestly was out of the question today and that was a mistake from our side. It was by far the quickest strategy today, the medium-hard, but we thought it would be much slower," he conceded.

"I honestly think with the pace I had I could have won.

As for the "man in the mirror", the Finn already knew the advice that awaited.

"He will say good job all weekend, unlucky. Forget about it, learn whatever you can and move on. Win in Germany!"

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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.