Valtteri Bottas is maintaining aspirations of fighting for the 2017 Formula 1 title after claiming his second victory of the season at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The Finn held off a late charge from current championship leader Sebastian Vettel, crossing the finish line just six tenths clear of the Ferrari, and in doing so reduced the gap between himself and the German to 35 points in the standings.
Reflecting on the race, Bottas admitted the similarities between Spielberg and his first win in Sochi back in April, explaining why he struggled more despite pitting seven laps later than Vettel.
“I had a bit of a déjà vu in the end with what happened in Russia,” he said “He was catching up. The problem in the last stint, I had a massive blister on the rear left since lap five of that stint, so that made it quite tricky.
“In the beginning, I could control the pace, but in the end, the backmarkers made it quite tricky.”
The victory continued a pattern from recent races for the Mercedes driver, having finished fourth, third and second in the three races before Austria.
“[I’m] really happy, it’s only my second win in my career. Thank you guys for the support, massive thank you to the team for making this possible, so thank you guys,” he added.
Looking ahead to the remainder of the season, Bottas certainly would be the third favourite for the title, but with Hamilton and Vettel getting so much attention and with a heightened tension within their rivalry, that could open the door for the former GP3 champion to challenge under the radar.
“We’re not even in the halfway of the year, so definitely I believe and the team believes,” Bottas said of his title chances. “[There is] still a long year ahead. Like I said, we are still developing. I’m just loving every moment and it’s going to be good.”