F1 | Saudi Arabian GP | Bottas hyped by the track and hopeful for a good race: “This is one of the toughest tracks of the year, both mentally and physically”
Valtteri Bottas qualified in P2 behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Nevertheless, Mercedes cannot feels satisfied, even if the Finn keeps high hopes for tomorrow
The Qualifying day is over at Riyadh. Mercedes ended in the front line but the results are not sufficient to keep the team satisfied. The team principal said that there are many aspects to work on, in order to be able to fight and win against Red Bull. The car is not as superior as it was in the last years but their driver Valtteri Bottas keeps high hopes for the race. The Finn ended at the shoulders of his teammate Lewis Hamilton but he likes to race on this new circuit.
“You get such an adrenaline rush from this track!” – he said. “Tomorrow's going to be hard, this place is so intense but at least we're starting in the best places,” - he added.
The qualifying on the new and almost unknown track has been difficult but he feels motivated to give his all on the race. Valtteri Bottas almost finished his carreer in Mercedes and made clear he wants to bring home great memories and important results before moving to Alfa Romeo in 2022.
“Given how tricky qualifying was today, it's a great result. Starting on the left side tomorrow is definitely going to be dusty but I'll be trying hard to keep position. This is one of the toughest tracks of the year, both mentally and physically, which is exciting because come tomorrow, anything can happen.”
The race is tomorrow and, as the Finn promptly pointed out, it is going to be challenging both in mind and in body for everyone. The Silver Arrow will have to stroke their best shot to overtake Red Bull in the championships.
This is what teamwork looks like. 💪 An unbelievable job by both car crews to get VB's PU swapped and his W12 ready for Quali! 🛠️ pic.twitter.com/jAShkhI49l
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 4, 2021
