First F1 win is difficult, says former champ Lauda

“To win the first Grand Prix... is always the most difficult one,” the retired triple champion and non-executive chairman of Bottas’s Mercedes team, told reporters. 

“This I know out of my own experience. So, everyone that comes next, for him his life is easier. He has proven that he can win. “As soon as you win the first grand prix, a big load comes off,” added the Austrian, who was surprised Ferrari did not win in Sochi given their race pace and having both cars starting on the front row.

Instead, Bottas roared past both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen to seize the lead into the first corner in a move that decided the outcome.

The Finn has had to wait longer than most to scale the top step of the podium but the man he replaced in January, retired 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, took his first victory in his 111th Grand Prix start. 

Only last week, reporters were asking Bottas about having to accept so-called ‘team orders’ and help triple champion team mate Lewis Hamilton in the title battle against Vettel but it looks different already. 

Bottas is now just 10 points adrift of Hamilton and, having started the season as an emergency stopgap, can now quite legitimately see himself in the championship mix.