Valtteri Bottas surprised by Ferrari's pace

Mercedes expected stiff competition from the Team Ferrari on the Hungaroring turnstile, and the W08s of Lewis Hamilton et Valtteri Bottas were unable to prevent the two SF70Hs from scoring a double this Saturday afternoon in qualifying.

Valtteri Bottas recognized the superiority of the Maranello single-seaters and admitted to experiencing overheating of his tires on his second attempt. « I had to give it my all today. On my first attempt, the trick was already quite good. Then I was fast in sectors one and two, but the tires overheated and I lost time in sector three.

Generally speaking, I don't think we could have done more today. I was surprised by Ferrari's pace. Yesterday we were hoping it would be a very close fight for pole. It was, but they had the advantage. »

The Finn now turns his attention to the race, where strategy could allow Mercedes to aim for victory. “Now we have to focus on the race. It will be very close in terms of race pace with Ferrari and Red Bull. Starting from third place is not too serious. I need a good start and I hope we can hit the mark with the strategy tomorrow. »