Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff is concerned Valtteri Bottas’ Q3 crash in qualifying for the Australian GP could cause a longer-term dip in confidence.
The Finn has struggled to keep in touch with teammate Lewis Hamilton throughout the weekend in Melbourne and his plight was exacerbated after he hit the barrier on the exit of Turn 2.
With damage pretty substantial, it is already known Bottas will start from at least P15, after taking an additional five-place penalty for a new gearbox, the night of hard work to come is the last thing Wolff is worrying about, however.
“My reaction with the F-word was about the psychological effect it could have on Valtteri,” the Austrian was reported by ESPN. “This is a moment when you could start to question yourself and this in race one is not good for the psychology of the driver.
“We are trying to give him all the support we can and obviously it’s very early days for our team championship, but starting P15 in Melbourne is not an easy starting position.”
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Bottas himself doesn’t appear to have been too affected by the nasty accident, believing he was a victim of just slightly overstepping the boundaries.
“I used a bit more of the track on the exit of Turn 1,” he explained. “I went a bit too wide and just a bit surprised [with what happened next].
“I think the track was still a little damp from the rain we had previously and I lost the rear of the car and tried to correct it but it all happened so quick and there was nothing I could do.
“We approach tomorrow with a fighting spirit,” the 28-year-old added.
“Points are given on Sundays, not Saturdays, so we’re going to give it our all and get as high [up the leaderboard] as much as we can.”