Bottas admits it was "painful" to miss out on a podium finish

Valtteri Bottas has described missing out on the Monaco podium as "painful" after the Finn finished in P4. Bottas was running in third for the first portion of the race, but fell back to fourth after Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull was able to jump him as he pitted later. 

Yesterday was the first time in Bottas' career that he managed to score points at Monaco, as the streets of Monte Carlo has been a bit of a gremlin for his former team Williams in recent years. His best finish prior to yesterday's Grand Prix was P12.

"Missing out on a first Monaco podium is painful. It's been a long week and we've worked so hard, so it's disappointing to miss out. I was stuck in the traffic while Daniel (Ricciardo) was running in free air and ultimately, that cost me a place on the podium. It's been a really tough weekend for us and we've just been missing pace."

Bottas and Mercedes had been struggling with the car all weekend, and Bottas' teammate Lewis Hamilton failed to make it out of Q2 in a car that was reportedly difficult to drive. The Finn admits he think the Ferrari looks easier to operate and hopes this performance won't repeat itself throughout the rest of the season.

"Ferrari were very strong this weekend and for whatever reason, their car seems easier to operate, so we have work to do. We have to learn from this, but there's a long year ahead. Hopefully, this will be our worst weekend this season. Canada should be a different story."

Fergal Walsh