Monaco Grand Prix – Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas says that he felt he could have been on pole position for Sunday’s race, but traffic played a part in compromising preparation for his second quali run.
Bottas finished P2 to his teammate Lewis Hamilton at the end of qualifying, having been sat on provisional pole position for most of Q3. However, on the second runs, Lewis Hamilton found some extra tenths to snatch pole position away from the Finn, with Bottas unable to respond.
Afterwards, Bottas explained that his second run had been compromised when he encountered traffic on his outlap: “I definitely felt like I had the speed to take pole today. My first run in Q3 was quick, but I had two or three tenths in my pocket.”
“I was stuck in traffic on my final out lap in Q3, so my tyres weren’t warm enough for the second run. As soon as I started the lap I could feel that they weren’t gripping and I saw during the lap on the screens that Lewis took pole. For me personally that’s annoying, but for the team it’s another incredible result.”
“We have a long race ahead of us and anything can happen tomorrow. The run into Turn 1 is very short in Monaco, so it’s tricky to make a difference there, but I will keep pushing and use every opportunity that might come up.”
