Valtteri Bottas says there is still room for improvement with his set-up ahead of qualifying for the British Grand Prix, despite having topped both of Friday’s free practice sessions.
The Finn edged out his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton by less than a tenth in both the morning and afternoon, the pair several tenths ahead of their nearest rivals in each session. Despite the strong pace, Bottas was still not quite comfortable with the feeling of his car after the day’s running.
“We’ve started the weekend really well,” he said afterwards. “In the first session, the balance was not too far away, so a positive start. There is still work to do to get the car more driveable and to be able to trust it more in the high-speed corners. But overall I think it was a good start for the weekend.”
Bottas echoed the remarks of his world champion team-mate regarding the new generation of cars making the high-speed Silverstone circuit a more challenging task than in recent times. Bottas went seven tenths faster than Hamilton’s pole time from last year’s race, and indicated the gap between the two events was even bigger than the timesheets suggested.
“I’m impressed by the new cars on this track with its high-speed corners – they’re so much quicker than before. I’m definitely enjoying it and had a lot of fun, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow. You feel more G in the corners and there’s a greater effect on your body, quite a big step up from last year. But luckily I’m well prepared for that.”
