Bottas: Average gaps to Hamilton have been ‘tiny numbers’ in 2019
Valtteri Bottas is happy with his qualifying efforts against Mercedes Formula 1🦋 teammate Lewis Hamilton during the 2019 season, with only “tiny numbers” splitting the pair.
Hamilton leads Bottas 12-6 in the qualifying head-to-heads this year but both drive𝔍rs have each claimed four pole positions, while the average gap between the duo o✱n a Saturday has averaged just 0.147s.
Valtteri Bottas is happy with his 🐎qualifying efforts against Mercedes Formula 1 teammate Lewis Hamilton during the 2019 season, with only “tiny numbers” splitting the pair.
Hamilton leads Bottas 12-6ꦦ in the qualifying head-to-heads this year but both drivers have each cl♏aimed four pole positions, while the average gap between the duo on a Saturday has averaged just 0.147s.
Bottas heads into this weekend’s United States Grand Prix knowing that the title🎃 race is now out of his hands, with Hamilton needing to score just four points in Sunday’s race to wrap up his sixth world title in Austin.
“We’ve had many ဣtight sessions between us, there haven’t been big gaps between us as th🐬e averages show really tiny numbers,” Bottas said.
“There are a l🍎ot of variables and thingsﷺ can shift quite quickly but the overall performance could always been better.
“There have been mistakes from my side, that cost me better startingဣ positions for the races.
“Mexico💃 is a good example of that, where I stepped over the limit trying to find all the performance from the lap but that can happen.”
Hamilton, who has not been on pole since July’s German Grand Prix, insisted he is not “unhappy” with his ♉qualifying performances this year despite conceding it has been one of his weaker areas.
“This year, I’m not unhappy with my qua൩lifying, I generally feel I’ve punched out decent laps,” Hamilton explained.
“But not like Singapore last year and more often than not, it’s sti🐎ll not been good en꧟ough for pole.
“But it has s🙈till be relatively solid. We’ve been on the first two rows quite consistently, this year, so it’s still ಞbe pretty decent.
“I’d say Sunday is the thing I’ve been most proud of. It’s been stronger than last year. That’s good to see.
"The goal has always been to keep consistency and build on othe🍬r areas and races is one of those and we’ve stronger all year through the races.
“Areas we can still improve on for next year - how we go about doinꦆg that, I don’t know, but I do know I have the best people around me to do that.”
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for mahbx.com around the 🔴world. Often reporting on the action from the grou𝐆nd, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
