Mercedes Valtteri Bottas doesn’t think Red Bull will be a player in the title race this season, even though the team kept him off the podium in Monaco.
A strong strategy for Daniel Ricciardo and traffic for Bottas meant the Red Bull ended up on top. Ricciardo took the final step of the podium, whilst Bottas could only finish fourth.
The result doesn’t mean a return to form for Red Bull, though. The relatively low speed Monaco track worked to Red Bull’s advantage, and Bottas doesn’t believe the team will be as competitive at the upcoming, high-downforce circuits.
“I reckon for now it’s just Monaco because it’s such a unique track,” he told Autosport.
“It’s all about downforce and mechanical grip and having a good car over the bumps and change of direction.
“Canada is very different, it’s full of medium-speed corners and chicanes.
“I think they are going to be [competitive] sooner or later. They are a strong team and they can make very quick cars, so we should not underestimate them.
“But I reckon Canada will be a bit more tricky for them.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has echoed these thoughts .
It wasn’t just Red Bull’s strengths that kept Mercedes off the podium in Monaco. The junior team Toro Rosso also played a part as Carlos Sainz hindered Valtteri Bottas’ progress through the field.
“While I was stuck behind Sainz, with overheating brakes, Daniel was getting good lap times,” he said. “The pace of the Red Bulls was quite strong as well, they were going to challenge us.
“They saw the opportunity and they took it so for us it’s disappointing to lose a few points like that.”
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