Wolff reflects on the one that got away in Bahrain

Mercedes AMG Petronas team boss Toto Wolff had mixed feelings following Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.
Valtteris Bottas on his way to second place in Sunday's Bahrain Grand PrixValtteris Bottas on his way to second place in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix
Valtteris Bottas on his way to second place in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas lined up in third place and Brackley team-mate Hamilton in a penalised ninth position but they finished the other way round at the finish behind Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

Wolff said: “It’s incredibly frustrating to come so close to a win and to miss out at the very end but that was a race that kept us on the edge of our seats until the final corners.

“If you had offered us second and third on Saturday, I would have taken it straight away. But when you consider that both Red Bulls retired and one Ferrari, then it was also the minimum result we should expect from the race.

“In hindsight, it’s easy to look back at the race and see opportunities to win.

“Overall, it was good damage limitation after we put ourselves on the back foot with the penalty. Now we need to focus on those fine margins that make the difference between winning and losing these finely balanced races.”

Bottas said: “It was so close in the end. But I feel like I did a good race, I didn’t make any mistakes and I gave it everything I had.

“The pace was better than expected so that we could put some pressure on Ferrari, it’s very close and it’s going to be an interesting season.

“We still have work to do, especially for conditions like here in Bahrain. I think we can see some positives but the main thing is to really learn from this weekend.”

Hamilton said: “It was all about damage limitation and I think to get in the top three is a really great result for the team and for myself.

“Ferrari have shown over the last two races that they have the edge at the moment but it is close and we definitely have to do a better job.”