Risky approach not influenced by contract situation - Bottas

Valtteri Bottas insists his aggressive approach at the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix was not related to the uncertainty surrounding his future with the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

Bottas’ current deal with the reigning world champion squad expires at the end of the season, though Mercedes does have an option to extend his deal through to 2020. But the situation is complicated by the team wanting to ensure reserve driver Esteban Ocon also gets on the grid.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says he is “wrestling” with himself amid the dilemma as the team looks to come to a decision between Bottas or Ocon in the coming weeks.

Bottas endured a scruffy opening lap at the Hungaroring after a pair of early lock-ups enabled Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton through. The duo made light contact, before the Finn had a separate collision with Charles Leclerc moments later.

“When contract-wise you are on the limit, it never helps,” Bottas said.

“Some people might think some drivers perform better under pressure when things are on the limit but, for sure, for me it doesn’t help.

“I can’t say that going into Turn 1 I was thinking about it, I don’t think so. But I was very hungry for the win, no matter if there are contract talks or not.

“I wanted to win this race, so I took the risk. It just didn’t go quite as planned, it could have been a lot different, we’re talking about centimetres here and there, so that’s how it goes.

“That’s the thing in this sport, you try to be on the limit, calculating the risks, just enough.

“Pushing hard, trying to take the opportunities but trying not to fuck up like that. That’s how it goes.”

Bottas was forced to pit with front wing damage early on, sending him to the back of the grid. He ultimately recovered to eighth, but with Hamilton winning in Hungary, he has now fallen 62 points adrift in the title race and sits just seven points clear of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

Bottas was unhappy with Leclerc’s driving on the first lap and described the Ferrari driver’s move which led to their contact as “completely unnecessary”.

“At the time, when it happened, I thought I must have been focusing on something else and maybe I didn’t see him, because it happened pretty quick,” he explained.

“But then I saw the onboards, and when I saw it from Vettel’s onboard, it was pretty clear that I was just going straight ahead, he was on the right and he would have been, anyway, ahead of me before Turn 4.

“But suddenly he just swept across and for me it was too late to react. I mean, I love hard racing, that’s for sure, but that was just completely unnecessary.

“It compromised my race, he was lucky not to get a puncture, so that’s not how it should be.”