F1 | Bottas: “It wasn't bad, but it's not the position we wanted”

Second row for Valtteri Bottas in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first test of the new season. The Finn, who was never actively fighting for pole position, achieved the third fastest time, paying 589/1000 from the best performance of Max Verstappen's Red Bull number 33. The Mercedes standard bearer, complicit in the difficulties driving the W12, hopes that the race can go better.

"The tests weren't the easiest for me, having had balance problems and we weren't able to prepare as we had hoped – said Bottas – The evening session went a little better. In Q1 we went out on the second attempt on the soft tires and wasted a tyre. In Q3 I only had one set of new tires and it was complicated to complete a lap and compete against Max (Steps) and Lewis (Hamilton). It wasn't bad but it's not the position we wanted. At least we will start from third place and from there everything is possible in the race".

On strategy: “We and Max will start on the medium tyres. There will be no huge changes – admitted the Finn – Maybe we have more hard tires for the race, but I don't know how many more. We will see. Let's hope we can plan something good".