LONDON • Valtteri Bottas has said he will be looking at the "man in the mirror" to find a way to beat Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton after falling further behind the runaway Formula One leader over the weekend.
The Finn was fastest in qualifying on Saturday and had started the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on pole position on Sunday.
Yet, as so often happens, it was five-time world champion Hamilton who celebrated on the top step of the podium.
The gap is now 39 points, after the Briton also bagged an extra point for the fastest lap despite having tyres that had already done more than half the race, with 11 of 21 rounds remaining. Hamilton has won seven races to two for Bottas, who briefly led the standings, and now looks unstoppable with momentum flowing his way.
Nico Rosberg, his retired former Mercedes teammate, said he spent two hours with a sports psychologist every other day during an intense and draining 2016 title battle that the German eventually won.
However, Bottas, whose race strategy was undone by a brief safety car episode that fell right into Hamilton's favour, does not see any reason for doing anything similar as he was "not Nico".
Nor does he intend to consult Rosberg on how to reel in the juggernaut that is Hamilton.
"I don't think it would work for me. Every athlete, every person is individual," Bottas told reporters. "Some need some outside support.
"I have plenty of good people around me I can talk to and for me... If I have hard times or if I doubt, I plan to solve it myself."
The former Williams driver has had to endure bad luck in his time with the Silver Arrows. At last year's Baku race, a blown tyre three laps from the end put paid to hopes of taking the chequered flag.
Sunday was another blow, as he pitted three laps before the safety car was deployed with Hamilton yet to come in, leaving him to wonder what if.
"I honestly think with the pace I had, I could have won," said Bottas.
Asked what the man in the mirror would be saying to him despite his fading championship hopes, he said: "He will say good job all weekend, unlucky. Forget about it, learn what you can and move on. Win in Germany (July 28)."
REUTERS
