F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Bottas let win 'slip through his fingers' - Brawn

F1 director of motorsports Ross Brawn believes Vallteri Bottas will have been kicking himself after Sunday's Tuscan Grand Prix after letting a win "slip through his fingers" at Mugello.

Bottas was beaten to pole by a small margin by Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton but managed to snatch the lead at the start of the race only for proceedings to be halted by a red flag.

But on the restart, the Finn failed to hold his own against Hamilton who took command of the disrupted race never to relinquish his first place position.

Despite his best efforts, Bottas simply could not challenge the imperial Briton.

"Valtteri Bottas will leave Tuscany believing he should have a victory trophy in his possession, the Finn was in tremendous shape after snatching the lead from Lewis Hamilton," commented Brawn in his post-race column.

"But he let the win slip through his fingers and he must be struggling to come to terms with another defeat to the reigning world champion."

©Mercedes

Brawn believes that Bottas' latest defeat that has put him 55 points behind Hamilton in the Drivers' standings will have left him with more questions than answers.

"This one will hurt and will leave him asking himself – what does he need to do to get the better of his team mate?" added Brawn.

"He’s still in the championship hunt, of course, but as every race goes by, his chances are slipping away.

"It’s now a mental battle, because he has the speed. But Lewis is relentless, takes every opportunity and rarely gives one to his opposition."

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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.

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