© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Valtteri Bottas says he could have let Lewis Hamilton pass him earlier than he did, while the Briton was chasing Max Verstappen, but he was ‘doing his own race’.
After Mercedes called Lewis Hamilton in for his second pit stop at the Spanish Grand Prix, his race win depended on his ability to chase down Max Verstappen, who had a 20-something second advantage over the Briton.
But there was still Valtteri Bottas, who was yet to pit, between the two drivers. Mercedes first warned the Finn that Lewis was approaching and told him not to hold him up, and then later asked him to let Hamilton through.
However, it seemed the Finn was not making it easy for Hamilton, which led to Lewis seemingly having to perform a legitimate overtaking manoeuvre.
After the race Bottas was asked if he let Hamilton through at the first opportunity.
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“No, I definitely could have let him by earlier,” said the Finn.
“But I was doing my own race, so there is always a moment to calculate things and I was trying to get Charles [Leclerc] out of the pit window, so I could stop again and try and go for an extra point [for fastest lap].
“So the main thing in my mind was my own race. There wasn’t that much [talk over the team radio]. They told me not to hold him up too much but, like I said, I was also doing my race.
“I’m not here to let people by… I’m here to race,” concluded Bottas.
