Bottas confident of ‘strong points’ at Monza despite lower grid

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News emerged during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix on Friday night that Bottas will start Sunday’s race behind the grid after a strategic move by Mercedes to change some elements of the power unit.

Bottas duly set the quickest time at the end of the third quarter to secure a 1-2 qualification for Mercedes, outpacing teammate Lewis Hamilton for the lead.

On Saturday, Bottas will start the sprint at Monza from P1, giving him the chance to fight for the maximum three points on offer to win the 100km race. Then it falls to the back of the field on Sunday.

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But the Finn was encouraged by the speed Mercedes showed at Monza on Friday, giving him confidence he can still walk away with a good set of points.

“I think obviously with a sprint, there is potential to get a few points, so of course, try to get as many points as possible tomorrow,” Bottas said.

“Then it’s another fight on Sunday. Now I’ll just focus first on tomorrow, and I’ll try to deal with it on Sunday.”

“Given a look at the pace we have here, I’m sure we can still get some strong points on Sunday.”

Pole incubator Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes

Photo by: Stephen T/Motorsports Pictures

Bottas sat in fifth after the first rounds in the third quarter after a mistake on a Rugia Chicani exit that made him touch gravel, before a drag helped him climb into P1 at the end of the session.

“I was relaxed and enjoyed the last course, it was a beautiful course and I really enjoyed it,” Bottas said.

“The car was really good this weekend, and we saw a little gap with Red Bull as well.

“So he’s probably stronger than we expected so far this weekend, and hopefully it will be the same in the race.”

The first-place charge came just days after Bottas announced he would be leaving Mercedes at the end of the year, to join Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season.

Teammate Hamilton said it was “great to have a lockdown in the front rows of the team,” adding: “Especially with the news this week, it’s great that Valtteri is doing so well.”

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