Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff led the praise for Valtteri Bottas after his win in Australia on Sunday.
Despite a little help from Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton pitting too early, it was a dominant performance from the Finn, who claimed his first win since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2017.
Certainly, it was a perfect way to start a crucial season for Bottas, who had finished 2018 161 points behind teammate Lewis Hamilton, having failed to win a race all year.
“I like him. I’m very happy for him. He’s a very decent guy,” Vettel commented.
“I don’t think he’s any different, I think he always had the speed. Obviously, last year didn’t go well for him for many reasons but I was very happy to see when I was told that he won the race.
“Obviously he was far away, straightaway, far away from us, which is not good news for us. But he’s a nice chap so I’m really happy and pleased for him today.”
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As for Toto Wolff, he saw a return of the same Bottas that had made him one of the hottest talents when he came into F1 in 2013.
“I just remember his early years in Formula Renault and Formula 3 where he was really the benchmark and he would just destroy everybody, and somehow that was lost last year,” he told Sky Sports.
“When he came back from the winter, he said: ‘I’m back’, and I think he rediscovered the joy of driving with his rally outing, and mentally, he’s strong.”
‘To Whom It May Concern…’
(wait for it) ?@ValtteriBottas #F1 #AusGP ?? pic.twitter.com/K87G2F9Nmd
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 17, 2019
Bottas delivered a rather emphatic “f**k you” over the radio, addressing his doubters, and Wolff was equally happy to see them silenced.
“[I’m] very pleased. Especially the second half of the season, he was completely written off,” he claimed.
“People didn’t think he was up for the job, and he bounced back in the most dominant way, completely in control of the whole weekend.