Bottas admits gap to Ferrari is surprising Mercedes
F1 News
- Jake Williams-Smith
Valtteri Bottas has admitted the gap between Mercedes and Ferrari has been a surprise to the reigning world champions.
The Italian team brought several updates including a power unit boost with new oil from fuel provider Shell in the hopes of closing the gap to Mercedes.
However, in qualifying the gap was anything but closer, with Bottas taking pole position by a mammoth sixth-tenths of a second from teammate Lewis Hamilton with Sebastian Vettel almost a full second behind in third.
Speaking after qualifying, the Finn admitted that the team had not expected to be so far ahead of their championship rivals after winter testing.
"I have to say that when I saw the times we definitively expected Ferrari to be closer,” said Bottas.
"Also, based on what happened in winter testing, this seemed to be a track that really suited their car.
"But since yesterday’s practice, we really saw we were on good form and we’ve done a good job, as a team, with the direction we’re taking the car to, where to find the performance and how, and so on.
"We’ve done a really good job at that and I think we’re all impressed."
Bottas' pole was his third of the season and it could prove vital at the Circuit de Catalunya, with overtaking predicted to be difficult on the aerodynamic-focused circuit.