Bottas: Everything is possible for the race outcome

Valtteri Bottas states that there is no point of setting a limit on where he could potentially finish the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, starting from the back of the grid.

The Finn took on new engine components ahead of the weekend following his mechanical failure in Brazil, which saw him receive a back-of-the-grid penalty for the start of the grand prix.

Mercedes uncovered a leak overnight on his car and opted to fit another fresh power unit, further cementing his position firmly at the rear of the field.

Nonetheless, the Finn took part in qualifying and managed to set the second fastest time in Q2, behind teammate Lewis Hamilton who took his fifth pole position of the season.

"The last lap was okay, I still feel like Lewis was a bit too quick," Bottas said of his session. "We were a bit different on set-up as well by the end of qualifying.

"I felt a bit more comfortable yesterday with the car overall and obviously for me, I was trying to keep everything in my mind on the race because in any case, I knew I'm going to be starting last.

"I tried as hard as I could, in Q2 I did just one run to save a new tyre set for the race. But Lewis did a very good job. 88th [pole] is a very big number, so massive respect for that.

Bottas pointed out that there have been some "crazy races" this season, with Carlos Sainz driving from 20th to 3rd two weeks ago in Brazil.

The 30-year-old is not setting any targets for his race outcome, as he believes everything is still to play for on Sunday.

"Everything is always possible, there's no point trying to set any limit for tomorrow. So we'll have a good fighting spirit, take every opportunity.

"There will be some tomorrow, and we've seen crazy races this year, looking back at two weeks in Brazil. So I look forward to coming up, taking those opportunities and having fun in the car.

"We've tried to make a plan, the whole weekend trying to optimise for the race because like I said, the qualifying result doesn't really matter for me today."

Replies (0)

Login to reply

AZ Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

AZAzerbaijan Grand Prix

Local time 

Test calendar

See full test schedule

World Championship standings 2026

Show full world champion standings

Related news

Give your opinion!

Will Bottas challenge Hamilton for the world championship in 2020?

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
6 - Mar 8
Australia
13 - Mar 15
China
27 - Mar 29
Japan
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
1 - May 3
United States of America
22 - May 24
Canada
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
12 - Jun 14
Spain
See full schedule

Formula 1 Calendar - 2026

Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
10 - Apr 12
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
5 - Jun 7
Monaco Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
See full schedule

Driver profile

  • Team Cadillac F1
  • Points 1,608
  • Podiums 61
  • Grand Prix 211
  • Country FI
  • Date of b. Aug 28 1989 (36)
  • Place of b. Nastola, FI
  • Weight 70 kg
  • Length 1.73 m
Show full profile

Team profile

Show full profile
show sidebar