Mercedes-AMG Petronas’ Valtteri Bottas.
Mercedes-AMG Petronas’ Valtteri Bottas.

Valtteri Bottas admitted it took him a few days to overcome the disappointment of Monaco, but has since turned a new page ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend.

Monaco proved to be a nightmare for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver as he was forced to retire from the race after one of his wheels would not come off during a pit stop. He was running second at the time.

Bottas, who is in his fifth season with Mercedes, said such setbacks can prove costly in the championship, especially with rivals such as Red Bull Honda Racing and Ferrari becoming more competitive with each season.

"Yes, it (Monaco) was a big disappointment. We missed out on a lot of points," said Bottas in a video press conference yesterday.

"I have to admit that I was still disappointed for a couple of days after the race, but it is all about trying to open a new page and chapter.

"The main thing was to look back at what went wrong and see what we can do better.

"With every new season, it (championship) gets tougher. I think the teams that are chasing have great motivation to beat us.

"There is always a risk when you are the winning team as you tend to get too comfortable. So as a team, I think the key is to stick and set goals together, and that is what we are trying to achieve."

Bottas hopes to clinch a second win in Baku this weekend after his success in 2019. The race was cancelled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 31-year-old said taking a patient approach will be the key in Baku, known as the Silk Road city.

"Racing on a street circuit is always risky because even a small mistake can prove costly," added Bottas.

"To take it easy during the beginning is probably not the right way to put it, but you have to build up your performance throughout the weekend.

"You should not be on the limit from the very first practice session. You need to build up your confidence corner by corner and find the limit step by step, or there will be mistakes.

"You definitely want to peak your (single lap) performance in qualifying and go from there."

Getting to Azerbaijan proved to be a challenge for Bottas as his flight from Finland on Thursday was delayed for over five hours.

Bottas is currently fourth in the overall drivers' standings with 47 points after five races.

Teammate Lewis Hamilton is second on 101, four points behind championship leader Max Verstappen (Red Bull).