Bottas goes from pole to third after tyre pressure issue, team orders

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Valtteri Bottas felt disappointed following Sunday's Formula 1 race in Bahrain after a tyre pressure issue ended his hopes of converting his maiden pole position into his first grand prix victory.

Bottas led the field away from pole in Bahrain, retaining his advantage through the first stint, but was unable to move clear of Sebastian Vettel.

Bottas struggled for pace throughout the race, leaving him to settle for third place behind Vettel and Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the chequered flag.

Mercedes F1 chief Toto Wolff confirmed after the race that a problem with one of the generators on the grid meant the team was unable to bleed Bottas' tyres properly, leaving the pressures too high.

"Yes, it was a tricky race for me, struggling with pace," Bottas said. "We had an issue with tyre pressures in the first stint and I was fighting a lot, but ran out of tools in my steering wheel. I had oversteer throughout the race and that's why I was slow.

"The target for today was a lot higher so that's a shame. Still, overall it was the best weekend for me this year and there's a lot more to come from me with team."

Bottas explained that he was trying to extend his first stint before making a stop, but that the problems were only exacerbated by the switch to the soft compound later in the race.

"I didn't know that was the issue. I was told there was a problem with the tyre pressures from the start, and that's why I was sliding around from lap two and Sebastian could put me under pressure," Bottas said.

"I was trying to extend the first stint, to minimise the issue for the second stint, but I was struggling and used the safety car period to pit. In the second stint was still struggling with oversteer, less than before but still struggling and then in the last stint, even with the harder compound, it was still oversteering, so it was a strange race for me. I'm OK with third but it was not a good day."

Bottas was asked twice in the race to allow Hamilton to pass, and while the Finn was happy to help the team, he admitted it was a tough pill to swallow on a personal level.

"I'm a racing driver, so being told to let your team mate through is the worst thing you can hear," Bottas said.

"But there was potential for Lewis to catch Sebastian, so I understand the team's decision. Personally it's hard, but what I have to find out is why we didn't have the pace today."

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