Bojan Vrbnjak
Interesting and exciting qualifications are behind us GP of Portugal v Portimão. When it already looked like it would Valtteri Bottas after three training sessions, he is the fastest for the fourth time, and in the last round he is exhausted from qualifying. Lewis Hamilton conjured a circle by placing it in pole position.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - pole position
"It was hard today, despite having a determined race car. Valtteri was faster in each session and I had to work very hard to gain a few hundredths. In the end, the tactics with the tires were decisive, as we were of the opinion that we can do more with a medium mixture than with soft ones. I also decided to go to the track earlier so I could drive two fast laps because the first one didn’t go well for me. This also brought me a pole position. This track is really amazing, it’s crazy. Sometimes you stare at the sky because there are no reference points for braking. On top of that, the track is very slippery, but I am still happy with the result."
Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - second place
"After we solved the dilemma of which tires are better, it was a question of whether we drive only one fast lap with little fuel. Or with more fuel with the possibility of two fast laps with intermediate cooling of the tires. I knew the low-fuel car was great, so I opted for this route, which turned out to be a mistake, my fault. I don’t know what happened then, whether the track cooled down and if it affected my tires. I wish I had another round to see what was possible. My round was good, but it wasn’t perfect. On top of that, I will start the race from the dirty side. This is certainly not an advantage. Otherwise, the trail is great, it goes up and down and it’s great for me because there are so many turns."
MaxVerstappen, Red Bull - third place
"The hardest part was warming up the tires because the asphalt is new. It also happens that the temperatures of the front and rear tires are not the same and therefore you have your hands full. However, I am satisfied with the third place. We are not far away from Mercedes. I hope to be able to stay close to the race as well. I’ll start the race on the cleaner side, that’s already good. In addition, I will start it on a soft mixture. But the first turn is not ideal for an attack. So I have to try to get past Valtteri right away. What will happen in the race is new to everyone. I will let you be surprised."
