Morning After: A significant victory

In a way it was only fitting that Abu Dhabi, a city which tries to be the ‘Monaco’ of the Middle East gave us a procession on-par with anything we’ve seen in the principality, yet for the soft-spoken Finn the significance of such a routine victory can’t be discounted.

Backing up his stellar pole with an equally impressive race, Sunday was the Bottas we’d be waiting for over the past four months. Even if his lead was helped by the passing-unfriendly confines of the Yas Marina circuit, this was Bottas at his composed best, simply not putting a foot wrong on all race.

Make no mistake, Lewis Hamilton was trying desperately to win this, but every time he upped the pace or drew close, Bottas was able to find an answer, and in so doing took a well-deserved third win of the season.

Whether today is enough to assuage all the concerns that have built up recently is a question sure to be discussed over the winter, but from Bottas’ view, it must be nothing short of a major morale boost. He now heads into 2018 knowing when he’s on-form what he’s capable of – whether its enough to take on a fully motivated Hamilton, we can only wait and see.

Already skirting controversy in their battle for P6 in the constructors with engine customers Toro Rosso, Renault didn’t exactly do their reputation any favours with their performance on Sunday.

Sealing the necessary points to leapfrog their rivals in no small part due to Nico Hulkenberg’s first-lap decision to cut the corner at turn 11 while duelling Force India’s Sergio Perez, Hulkenberg and Renault came under fire for what Force India technical director Andy Green called a ‘deliberate ploy’ given the lax five-second penalty for gaining an advantage.

Indeed, with no obligation to give the place back, and the much faster Ferraris and Red Bulls well down the road, it certainly made sense to stay out ahead. It was a choice between clean air and the opportunity to build enough of a gap to erase the penalty, and having to contend with not just Perez in front, but his teammate Esteban Ocon behind him. Obviously it’s no given Ocon would’ve passed him, but assuming Perez could have then backed him up, it certainly would’ve made things a lot tighter.

Nevertheless, Renault got their sixth, and residual concerns over sportsmanship are sure to be erased when they see that first prizemoney cheque. Also on a totally unrelated note, someone should probably check on Franz Tost…