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SAKHIR GP: STATEMENTS of the three fastest in qualifying

Valtteri Bottas, in the absence of Lewis Hamilton, managed to narrowly beat interim team-mate George Russell. Third was Max Verstappen.

Behind us are the penultimate qualifiers of this season, which he won Valtteri Bottas, racing teams Mercedes. The Finn is for 26 thousandths of a second beat the young man George Russell, who more than decently replaced the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

He was third Max Verstappen. Racer Red Bull Racing is for Bottas five hundredths of a second behind and will share the second row with Charles Leclerc.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - pole position"In the last part of the qualifiers, we tried something different and did three trials. In addition, I had another teammate with George. I tried not to think about all of this and focus solely on myself. I didn’t want to waste energy. Everything went well, our starting point with two race cars in the first place is excellent, George did a good job. I’m looking forward to my best time, but I have to honestly admit that these weren’t my best qualifiers. This floor plan of a track with such a short lap is very unusual and tomorrow’s race will be a bit of a journey into the unknown. It won’t be easy to follow a competitor, which makes me glad I don’t have anyone in front of me at the start. Nevertheless, due to the track itself, we have a very difficult job ahead of us tomorrow."

George Russell, Mercedes - second place"It annoys me that I couldn’t beat Valtteri, but I’m happy with second place and with such a small lag. Taken as a whole, however, it’s all like a dream. For the first time, I managed to get into the top ten and was able to drive such a great race car. The race could become fun as I have bruises all over my body as I sit in the race car a bit cramped. Everyone knows how close Bottas is to Lewis every time and if I’m so close to Valtteri now, then I can be happy with my debut at Mercedes. The race will be completely different, here it will be more about finesse. I hope for a good start and maybe I can beat Valtteri tomorrow. And here I would like to reply to Lewis, who sent me a message to take good care of his race car. I promise I will."

MaxVerstappen, Red Bull - third place"They were good qualifiers. In the second part, we noticed that we weren’t fast enough on the middle tire mix, so we used a soft mix to land among the top ten. That means we have to start the race with this mix and Mercedes with the middle. It’s right for me to try something other than Mercedes, as we have nothing to lose. That we are closer to Mercedes than a week ago is explained by a shorter circle. The pole position was not available today as the gap was too big and I knew I would not be able to make up for it. I believe that the race will be very interesting, because this floor plan is a new world for everyone. A lot will depend on the start and then it will be about how a racer can manage heavy traffic."   

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