In a qualifying session that saw Max Verstappen secure yet another pole position, Valtteri Bottas navigated the challenges of Suzuka in his quest to grab a competitive starting position for Sunday’s race.
The Finn had a rollercoaster ride through the qualifying drama, wasting no time to get onto the track in Q1, securing eighth place and advancing to the next stage of qualifying, despite his teammate Zhou’s complaints of a ‘slippery car’ dropping him to the bottom spot in P20.
In Q2, Bottas finished in P13 with a time of 1:29.593, acknowledging the challenges he faced throughout the practice sessions and qualifying, whilst looking ultimately, towards the race.
Reflecting on the session, Bottas noted that “of course, based on Q1 I was hoping for better and actually ideally getting into Q3.”
The Sauber driver added that he “just couldn’t find much more time than what I did in Q1”. The Finnish driver only found 0.009s in Q2 compared to his Q1 time, suggesting he reached the limit of his car earlier than others.
“I tried to push a bit more, but that meant in the last sector I started to drop a bit more with the tyres, so it’s a timeline, but I think it’s still quite positive. We made some steps forward, which is good to see.”
Despite the team’s setbacks and continuous issues with pitstops, Bottas claimed that the car itself is “definitely” the best it has been this season so far thanks to a floor update brought to Suzuka.
“With the new floor we have this weekend, it’s getting a bit more consistent overall, especially the high speed, so it’s getting better.”
Speaking directly about the team’s pitstop issues, Bottas was quick to note that the team has “done lots of practice this weekend.”
“For example, yesterday in FP2, we did 18 out laps to get practice.
“It’s been actually way smoother this weekend. With the modifications we have this weekend, I’m more confident. Obviously not 100%, but close to 100%.”
With the team undertaking three upgrades in the first four races of the year, both drivers seem encouraged that changes are being implemented so quickly, especially after a disappointing start to the season.
Sauber introduced a new front wing at the last race in Melbourne and introduced additional changes to the C44’s floor at Suzuka. The Finn is happy with the gains being made.
“Yeah, it’s nice to have stuff, especially when it’s so close, and you can actually see it in the results if we compare us in the first race versus now.
“We’re definitely making progress and that’s what we need.”
