Bottas admits he could have done better in Mexico F1 start

Bottas led a surprise Mercedes front-row lockout at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez but Verstappen was able to jump both Mercedes drivers to snatch the lead at Turn 1 after making a storming start. 

After Verstappen went on to claim a dominant victory, Lewis Hamilton said his teammate had “left the door open” for the Red Bull driver, while Mercedes boss Toto Wolff shared a similar view as he criticised the Finn. 

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Bottas conceded he could have done more after reviewing the start and watching replays “many times”. 

"If I'm very honest to myself, it's easy to say afterwards probably I could have done things different,” Bottas explained. 

"But in that moment, I thought I was making the right decisions. If I could relive the moment, maybe there was a way to block Max, or prevent him going outside, and maybe he would have had the chance to go inside. 

“I don't know. It's one of these things, but at the moment, I tried my best and that's all that I can do. And I've obviously watched the videos.

"If I would be in the same situation again, maybe I could do a better job. Maybe not.”

Despite enduring a disappointing race in Mexico, Bottas is looking to continue his recent upswing in form in Brazil. 

"It was a good Saturday in Mexico and I feel like if we got a pole in Mexico, I see no reason why we shouldn't be able to fight for that in these last few races," he added. 

"So absolutely that should be the goal. But here you know, it's a bit of a different weekend format, and we also need to focus quite a bit for Sunday."