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Wolff: Bottas' fastest lap bid 'cheeky but understandable'

Mercedes finished the Dutch Grand Prix in second and third, though a late bid for fastest lap by Valtteri Bottas raised some eyebrows. Toto Wolff says the matter will be discussed internally in an "amicable and professional way".

Valtteri Bottas nearly snatched a point from Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton by setting the fastest lap of the Dutch Grand Prix when he wasn't supposed to, though team boss Toto Wolff was understanding of the situation after the race. Bottas was a distant third behind race leader Max Verstappen and Hamilton in the closing stages of Sunday's race at Zandvoort when Mercedes brought him in due to vibrations on his worn tyres. When Bottas rejoined the race, he was told not to push for the fastest lap, which was held by Hamilton, and while he backed off in the final sector, he still managed to set the fastest time. Hamilton eventually reclaimed the point with his final lap, though Wolff noted after the race that Bottas' move was "a bit cheeky". "It was a bit cheeky, but understandable," Wolff told RacingNews365.com and other members of the media. "Valtteri is always on the receiving end, because this championship is so tight. "He lifted off massively in the last sector. It was clear that Lewis would do the quickest lap again and Valtteri knew about it. In the end, Lewis [is] in the fight for the Drivers' championship [and he] got the point and it's all good." Despite almost costing Hamilton a point in the fight for the title, Wolff stated that the team will discuss the matter in an "amicable way". "It could have ended up in a loss of a point for Lewis and it would also have also been not right because he had [the] fastest lap until then," Wolff added. "But you have to understand also at that point a certain degree of frustration for Valtteri, and at the end everything is good. "We are going to talk about it but in a most amicable and professional way."

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