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Bottas to keep approach despite Hamilton crash

Valtteri Bottas insists he will not alter his racing style, even though he crashed with reigning champion Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain.

The Finn had to serve a drive-through and see two penalty points added to his super-license after colliding with Mercedes’ Hamilton at the race start.

Bottas laughed when asked by Finland’s Iltalehti newspaper if he had spoken about the issue with Toto Wolff.

Wolff is not only Hamilton’s boss at Mercedes, but also Bottas’ manager.

“Yes, Toto commented about it, but not at all negatively,” he insisted.

“There is nothing else to say about it.  He knows that it was just a competitive situation,” Bottas added.

Bottas said immediately after the incident that he doesn’t think it warranted a penalty.

He now tells the Finnish broadcaster MTV: “I saw that there was space and went for it, and he (Hamilton) didn’t see me.  It happens.

“I will not change my style, of course.  I will take every opportunity that I see.

“It was pretty tight and perhaps I braked a bit too late, but I think sometimes it is penalised and sometimes it is not,” Bottas added.

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