Valtteri Bottas has strongly rejected any suggestion that his relationship with Mercedes is deteriorating.
As speculation continues over his future, the Finn let out an uncharacteristic outburst after being overtaken by Max Verstappen at last Sunday’s French Grand Prix, where he would finish fourth after also losing out to Sergio Perez in the closing laps.
“Why the f**k does no one listen to me when I say it’s going to be a two-stopper?!” F***ing hell,” he shouted down the radio voicing his displeasure at Mercedes’ strategy.
This comes after Bottas had earlier flashpoints with Toto Wolff post-race in Bahrain, when he admitted to delaying Lewis Hamilton in Spain and when Wolff initially blamed him for the pit-stop fiasco in Monaco.
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However, when asked directly if his relationship with Mercedes was on the rocks, Bottas swiftly struck back.
“BS, I’m going to be very direct on that, that perception is completely false, we have a good relationship with the team,” he said.
“There’s no issues and that kind of situations are normal. I’m sure not all the things that are said are being broadcasted.
“What has brought us, as a team, this far is that we are always being direct, always being honest with your feelings, if you feel there’s room for improvement, so it’s nothing new and everything is good.”
Post-race in France, Wolff actually welcomed his driver’s radio outburst claiming he “loved” that Valtteri now “speaks his mind”.
And it seems similar messages might be to come if the situation repeats itself.
“I always try everything I can, and when you approach a new year you always try to find more from yourself,” Bottas explained.
“I always want to maximize my result, my team’s result. Like I said earlier, nobody knows the discussions, the kind of constructive meetings we have with the team between the races and in the race weekends.
“I don’t think it’s anything new, I always try to be direct. I’m glad if he [Wolff] liked it but, obviously, I wasn’t happy in that situation.
“But that’s racing, emotions, it’s so hard to describe the feelings when you are in the car, we’re not in a tea party, we’re in an elite top sport and I want to do well, I want the team to do well. There are emotions, even for a Finn!”