Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas recently got together for a small casual chat following the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Needless to say, Hamilton was in a rather chirpy mood.
Bottas also looked jovial as he had kicked his disappointment of being a distant third in a race dominated by Max Verstappen and Hamilton.
As the two got talking, Bottas quizzed Hamilton on their team principal Toto Wolff.
Wolff is usually a calm presence in the Mercedes room, but there are times when he can lose his patience.
Bottas said that he had seen Wolff bang his fist against the table on many occasions. Hamilton, meanwhile, had a distinct memory.
“Angriest I’ve seen Toto would probably be one of the times Nico [Rosberg] and I crashed.
“Probably Barcelona was the angriest I’ve ever seen him. I definitely saw bald patches, he pulled out parts of his hair.”
Bottas was quick to draw Hamilton’s attention to another such time. This time, it involved both him and the British driver. The 2019 Grand Prix in Germany had seen both drivers struggle.
While Bottas suffered a crash race in the late, Hamilton was also unable to stake any real claim that day. That it came on the back of an otherwise important day for the team just added to Wolff’s agony.
Bottas recalled Wolff mutter to himself, ‘they played carnival at a race weekend’ and that this would be the last time he would put up with such a performance. It was the team’s anniversary that day and with the location of the Grand Prix in Germany, it was the perfect setting for them to prosper.
While Hamilton messed up while entering the pit lane, Bottas was the man entrusted to bring the points home for Mercedes. However, it was no fairytale ending as Bottas lost control of his car and crashed out of the race.
That is all in the past though and can truly be termed as a bad day at the office where both drivers just failed to turn up. Since then, Hamilton has been ruthless in his charge to one world championship after another.
Do you feel that he will be pushed much more this season, or has Mercedes got it all under control? Let us know in the comments section below!
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Absolutely loved the quiz between Hamilton and Bottas. Just two guys having a daft laugh. Another comment is about the way Verstappen has changed in personality. I remember when I felt like slapping his legs because of his behaviour. He has matured immensely over the last few years. He controls his temper,he doesn’t moan just gets on with it. So much so i find myself getting upset when things beyond his control go wrong.
That was really good to watch them learn a little about each other and for us to see them in a different light with some great questions, thank you.
Take care
Ken Murphy.