Bottas pole proves Mercedes made the right decision – Lauda
Mercedes Formula 1 non-executive director Niki Lauda believes Valtteri Bottas’ charge to pole position in Bahrain on Saturday proves the German marque made the right decision to sign him as a replacement for Nico Rosberg.
Bottas joined Mercedes for the 2017 season after Rosberg announced his shock retirement from F1 at the end of last year, just five days after winning his maiden world title.
Despite having interest from half the grid, Mercedes opted to sign Bottas from Williams, with the Finn taking a podium on debut before bagging his first pole in Bahrain on Saturday night.
Lauda was delighted with the result, saying it justified Mercedes’ decision to break Bottas out of his Williams contract and sign him for 2017.
“Yes, I’m really happy because we fought hard to get him. It proved that we made the right decision,” Lauda told Channel 4.
Bottas heads up a front-row lock-out for Mercedes in Bahrain, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton qualifying second as Ferrari failed to put up a fight for pole as it did in Australia or China.
“It was [Bottas] personally who did a fantastic job,” Lauda said. “Lewis second for Mercedes, a big improvement to the last two races because Vettel is now behind. I’m really happy about the result.
“No upgrades, it’s a circuit thing, quite simple to explain. I’m happy for Mercedes. We’re back on strength and it’s not that close.”
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