Finn margins as Lewis is pipped to pole
VALTERRI Bottas will start from poll for the first time in his Formula One career at the Bahrain Grand Prix today after pipping his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
The Finn edged out Hamilton, who had looked set for a seventh successive pole, by just twohundredths of a second over 3.4 miles of track. Sebastian Vettel lines up in third in his Ferrari, with the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo fourth. Hamilton was quickest in Q1, Q2 and then seem- ingly in the shoot-out for pole, only for Bottas to edge him out in the closing seconds with his best lap of one minute and 28.769 seconds. The former Williams driver was the only one of the front-runners to improve his time in their second and decisive runs.
Bottas said: “For a short period of time you have to enjoy what you have done over the weekend, but the main point is tomorrow so there is no point starting to dream about anything. It is all about focusing on the race, and getting the maximum out of it.
“Hopefully we can get the team’s first one-two of the year.”
Hamilton added: “Firstly, a big congratulations to Valtteri. He has been working so hard and gelled so well with the team. Today he was just quicker, and did a better job, so hats off to him. It was a great battle and that is how close qualifying should always be.”
Vettel, tied on points with Hamilton at the summit of the championship, said: “I was a bit down to be honest, because four-tenths of a second was a lot more than I expected, given how good the lap felt. On the next run I tried too hard, but equally I had nothing to lose.”
Bernie Ecclestone is back in a Formula One paddock for the first time since he was ousted by the sport’s new owners Liberty Media following their £6.4 billion purchase in January.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the 86-year-old sat with two of his allies – Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and former Renault boss Flavio Briatore – rather than any of the new regime.
Ecclestone claimed he would not have allowed McLaren’s Fernando Alonso to miss next month’s blue-riband Monaco Grand Prix. With that in mind, the double world champion will be pleased that Ecclestone is no longer in charge after yet another miserable day when an engine problem meant he did not take to the track in the second phase of qualifying.
He is set to start 15th, but could drop to the back of the grid if he is required to change his Honda power unit. Jenson Button, his replacement for Monte Carlo, is unlikely to be chomping at the bit to get back in the hapless McLaren.
After starting at the back for the past two races, Renault’s Jolyon Palmer made it through to Q3 for the first time in his career and will start 10th. Kimi Raikkonen, under pressure from Ferrari after two disappointing rounds, is fifth with Max Verstappen sixth.