Bottas in a “Mental Battle” With “Relentless” Lewis Hamilton: Brawn

Valtteri Bottas keeps his streak of finishing at Lewis Hamilton’s tail intact. Except for the inaugural race in Austria, Bottas is yet to see the top of a podium in 2020.

The race on Sunday saw him leading the initial phase of the race in the first position. However, Hamilton overtook him with ease and went on to win the Grand Prix in Tuscany.

The Mercedes driver had the lead and was hoping for a win. His casual approach to the race let Hamilton clinch the victory. Ross Brawn points out that the defeat will be quite difficult for him to digest.

“Valtteri Bottas will leave Tuscany believing he should have a victory trophy in his possession, the Finn was in tremendous shape after snatching the lead from Lewis Hamilton.

“But he let the win slip through his fingers and he must be struggling to come to terms with another defeat to the reigning world champion,” he stated.

Even though Bottas has enjoyed a handful of victories, he is yet to lay claim to a Championship title. To become a champion, he must capitalize on the opportunities that present themselves.

“This one will hurt and will leave him asking himself – what does he need to do to get the better of his teammate? He’s still in the championship hunt, of course, but as every race goes by, his chances are slipping away.

“It’s now a mental battle because he has the speed. But Lewis is relentless, takes every opportunity, and rarely gives one to his opposition.”

Valtteri Bottas needs to capitalize

Valtteri Bottas stands 2nd in the Championship standings below Hamilton. The gap of 55 points between them is not too big.

In Tuscany, his victory would’ve meant some extra points to his tally while Hamilton would be down by a few. Also in Monza, Hamilton suffered a penalty, therefore, he finished 7th.

If Bottas had capitalized and clinched a podium finish, it would’ve pushed him a few paces closer to Hamilton. However, with 8 races to go, he’ll be looking forward to the remaining races to work upon.