New Williams-Mercedes sounds the alarm in Hinwil: Stroll’s belated Baku revenge on Bottas

class=”sc-29f61514-0 jbwksb”>

That was more than annoying. In a photo finish (0.030 seconds) Valtteri Bottas (33) in Montreal in the Alfa-Sauber lost the duel for ninth place to local hero Lance Stroll (24) in the Aston Martin-Mercedes. This lost point can still be expensive.

“The fans panicked!”

“It was a great feeling when the stands suddenly threatened to explode when I flew past Bottas in the last meters and the fans raged,” beamed the Canadian. And of course Baku 2017 came to mind.

Stroll: Third three times

At that time, at just 18 years old, the big sensation seemed perfect at the GP in Baku. The son of the Canadian billionaire, seen by many as a hopeless case in his first season, was behind winner Ricciardo (Red Bull-Renault) in second place. In the Williams Mercedes.

Behind him, Bottas revved the engine in the works Mercedes and overtook Stroll for the finish – 0.105 seconds ahead. It was Canada’s first of three third places to date! And Stroll, who cried in the arms of his father Lawrence in Azerbaijan, already has 131 races! And found an indomitable team leader in Alonso.

Bottas: “Tire to blame!”

For Bottas, Stroll’s revenge in Montreal 2023 was rather embarrassing. But two weeks after the worst race of his career in Barcelona (19th), the Finn quickly found an excuse: “Sure, a ninth place was possible. But my tire wear was too great.”

At the finish, the two drivers were less than half a car length apart! Bottas: “We also have to see the positive aspect. I made up four positions – and the point is a great motivation for the whole team!”

“Perhaps a crucial point!”

Alfa-Sauber team representative Bravi was – as always – optimistic: “Of course it is bitter to lose a point in the last meters. But that tenth place could make all the difference at the end of the season! That’s why we are happy that we scored like in Barcelona.”

In Spain it was two points from Zhou, who never got going in Montreal, as last on the grid.

Williams is a rocket

But what is ringing the alarm bells in Hinwil is the “rebirth” of Williams-Mercedes. The British came abroad with a completely modified FW 45. And with the downforce found, Alex Albon (27) suddenly found himself in a rocket. The Thai (ninth on the grid) was the fastest man on the straight at 343.0 km/h!

Albon: “We now have a car with which we can compete for 7th place in the World Cup!” Alfa-Sauber is new there with 9 points ahead of Haas-Ferrari (8) and Williams-Mercedes (7). In two weeks a new three battle in Formula 1 will start in Spielberg.

The next 5 races are sold out!

Scheduled since 1978, the Canadian GP in Montreal saw a record crowd of 345,000 fans in four days. Even though Verstappen’s show makes the races a bit more monotonous, spectators still flock to the circuits. The following five GP events in Europe are all sold out: Austria, England, Hungary, Belgium and the Netherlands. In Italy alone, only 80 percent of tickets have been sold. Since the Ferrari crisis shows interest.

Source : Blick