Hamilton might not have won in Russia without Bottas - Wolff

Toto Wolff says Valtteri Bottas’ contribution to Lewis Hamilton’s victory at the Russian Grand Prix cannot be underestimated, as the Finn successfully kept the pacy Charles Leclerc at bay in third place with the two Silver Arrows ahead.

Thanks, in part, to a safety car period after the retirement of Sebastian Vettel, Mercedes took advantage with Hamilton subsequently going ahead of Leclerc, with Bottas joining him up top not after.

The gap between the team-mates in P1 and P2 was sizeable enough that Bottas couldn’t really put together an assault on the victory, but his positioning as a barrier between Leclerc and Hamilton helped the Brit claim the win, according to Wolff.

“Today it was P2, but clearly he was a big part of us winning,” the Mercedes team principal said after the race.

“If Charles would have got through, the win would have been at risk. Valtteri drove brilliantly.”

Following his retirement, Vettel claimed that this was the first weekend of the season in which Ferrari enjoyed a better overall race pace than Mercedes, and Wolff admits to being concerned by that.

“It seems to be the case, overall. Over the whole weekend they have been better. We have a big job on our hands,” he said, agreeing with Vettel.

“We need to sort out our absolute pace in qualifying and how we set up the car, and the tyres.”

However, he remains content that their top-two finish in Russia provides the team with a “big step” towards securing both the constructors’ and drivers’ championships.

“It makes it so special. It's unbelievable because you start to doubt when you have the deficits, and you cling on to hopes like the safety car,” he explained.

“We're just overwhelmed. It's such an important step towards the championship.”

During the race, there was confusion in the Ferrari camp due to Vettel being asked to allow Leclerc past after initially overtaking him shortly after Lights Out, with the swap eventually taking place after a pitstop.

Wolff suggested he has some sympathy for the Scuderia as Mercedes have been in similar quandaries before.

“I haven't seen the whole thing I just have the transcript, not the audio,” he said of the radio exchanges between Leclerc, Vettel, and Ferrari management.

“It shows you that it is not trivial at all to manage two drivers who want to win. As a team we have been through these situations and it is not easy.”

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