Bottas believes he should have improved on his second attempt

On British soil, Valtteri Bottas played a nasty trick on the fans of Lewis Hamilton. The Finn of Mercedes took his fourth pole position of the year at Silverstone, but the first since Spain last May.

A “starvation” of three races which made the former driver confess Williams how much he had missed this satisfaction.

“It reminds you how good this feeling is, underlines Bottas as soon as he gets off his W10. Everything has been very close since the start of the weekend, and especially with Lewis today. I'm delighted with this lap and the pole. »

Bottas prevents Hamilton from winning a fifth consecutive pole on home soil. An error in the first flying lap, then a failure at just six thousandths, ruined the hopes of the British world champion.

Especially since Bottas was unable to improve on his second fast lap. “The first round was good, but not perfect, analyzes the Finn. Honestly I should have improved on the second attempt, especially on the first part of the lap.

But I'm satisfied that it was enough in the end. It's so hard to put everything together on a lathe and it's easy to make a mistake. »

Still the most prolific driver in qualifying in 2019, Valtteri Bottas knows that the management of the race and in particular the tires on a resurfaced track, will be decisive. “That will be the key for tomorrow, being efficient with worn tires. » concludes the pole sitter.