Originally Posted by
journeyman racer
MB wouldn't have been stupid if they just let it go for Bottas to win.
It would've been good PR for MB had Bottas won because Hamilton isn't really under serious pressure from Vettel, the situation is the same in the wcc, everyone would've recognised it was an accurate reflection of performance for the weekend.
In a scenario where they could've deployed team orders, to not do so would make them look good in front of fans wanting to see a meaningful race. Because Hamilton isn't under serious pressure from Vettel, it also undermines his season because people can speculate where else Hamilton is being favoured.
Had Bottas won. Because it's been infrequent that he's had the better of Hamilton, it' would've validated Hamilton's season more so than what has happened. Even if Hamilton ends up giving Bottas two freebie race wins at the end of the year, it would actually still invalidate their performances, because it's not a reflection of performance. It would've affirmed the notion that MB don't do team orders (unless it's reasonable to do so), which is what the audience likes to see.