Mercedes chief strategist James Vowles said they were 'foolish' with their timing to pit Valtteri Bottas and chase fastest lap in Portimao. After Lewis Hamilton had ditched his early three-way battle with Verstappen and Bottas to set himself up for victory at the Portuguese Grand Prix, Mercedes decided to change their approach with Bottas and chase the fastest lap bonus point. Bottas was no longer in contention for P2 after an earlier sensor problem, and so Mercedes brought him in to fit the soft rubber and have a couple of attempts. In doing so though that created a window for Red Bull to stop Verstappen a lap later and also chase the fastest lap on fresher tyres. He was able to set it,...
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