Bottas confident of having the advantage with his mediums at the start

In front of his teammate this Friday, Valtteri Bottas was forced to give in to the domination of Lewis Hamilton this Saturday. In addition to the pole, the Finn also lost the first row, synonymous with a double for Mercedes.

This Sunday, Valtteri Bottas will therefore start third behind Max Verstappen. If the service is insufficient in view of the performance of its car, the Finn is not discouraged, on the contrary.

« I remember starting third here once and we know the rest (reference to his first victory in F1 in 2017 in Sochi, editor’s note). I will try to do the same, he says first.

I think I have the advantage on the first stint with the medium tires so nothing is decided yet ". Indeed, Valtteri Bottas managed to get into Q3 with a set of mediums while Lewis Hamilton was forced to put on softs to get through Q2 even if he managed to dominate afterwards.

At the front during FPs 1 and 2, the Finn was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton during the last practice session this morning while remaining in contact. In qualifying, the story was quite different and Valtteri Bottas did not really understand this gap.

« The weekend was going well. In Q1 and Q2 everything was going well but I have no explanation for Q3 to be honest. I was able to improve some things but the others improved more.

I think the tires are very sensitive here, especially to warm them up. During my first time in Q3, they were too cold and during the second I don't know, deplores a doubtful Bottas. I couldn't go faster so there are points to review.

I don't understand why I couldn't keep up with Lewis' times in Q3. I didn't feel like I had gained any grip compared to previous sessions. ».

Despite this small disappointment, the No. 77 driver does not give up. He thinks his place on the grid could help him this Sunday. “ Third is a pretty good starting position. Plus, I think I have the right eraser to go ". An appointment has been made.