Bottas happy not to have been distracted by Russell revelation

Valtteri Bottas no matter how much he tries to evacuate the subject, he knows full well that the crime Lewis Hamilton and his replacement by hopeful George Russell at the Sakhir GP places him in a delicate position with an obligation to produce results. 

The Finn, however, admitted on Thursday that being beaten by the driver Williams for his debut under the colors Mercedes would definitely look bad on his CV. 

After a complicated Friday, Bottas reacted well in qualifying but the threat Russell is very close, only 26 thousandths from his pole position under the Bahrain floodlights. 

« I'm happy with the result but it wasn't my best session of the year, commented the Finn. I focused on my own performance. I didn't waste my energy elsewhere. The team is also well placed strategically with the 2 cars on the front row. 

In addition to locking the top of the starting grid, Mercedes will also see its 2 drivers start with the medium tires on Sunday in the race, against Softs on the side of Max Verstappen, 3rd, 56 thousandths behind Bottas.

« I don't really know what to expect, added the Finn. I felt like it was difficult to follow other cars so I'm very happy to start at the front. I hope the GP will be entertaining, on a bumpy and winding track in the middle ». 

Bottas knows it: only a victory on Sunday will allow him to silence his detractors. For a week at least.