Voltaire Bodas on why the soft tire request was rejected

Valteri Botas Switching to soft tires is said to be “very soon” after suggesting an alternative strategy during the Portuguese Grand Prix.

Finn, who lost the racing front when Lewis Hamilton rediscovered his abyss, then asked the Mercedes team if soft tires were an option after fitting hard tires on the Hamilton Lab 40.

But instead it came out of the pits again with the same hard compound tires and finished 25.5 seconds behind Hamilton, the record holder in P2.

“I think we had to stop a little early,” Bodas explained why he had not granted his request.

“I think they can see, I could feel a lot of vibration in the middle tire set, so that means the tires are really starting to finish.

“Doing it for a long time with a soft tire would have been a bit risky, so I decided to take points and take the air home.

“But I don’t think tire management was the issue today. It was too fast. Of course, we’ll see going forward.”

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Bodas is now 77 points behind Hamilton at the World Championships, admitting he had no answer to Hamilton’s accusation once the race settled in Portugal.

“The start was good,” Bodas said.

“I think it’s a little different, but it’s really raining a lot, which is why it’s very slippery, especially with medium tires against soft ones, and you lose a little in those conditions.

“I enjoyed it, it’s the highlight of the race for me. After that, I could not really match Lewis’ pace.

“I do not know why. He approached me, overtook me, and I could do nothing for him. I tried, but I could not go fast. ”

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