Bottas sets sights on victory after clinching pole
Valtteri Bottas has made it clear that he's going all-out for victory in tomorrow's 70th Anniversary Grand Prix at Silverstone.
"Mentally when you are starting from the pole you can only aim to win the race," he told the media after the end of Saturday's qualifying session. "And obviously, the starting point for it is good.
"I think the race pace is there so the first job is to get a good start off the line, as I had last weekend, and go from there. But yeah, the mentality is to try to win it. That is it."
The Finn was pipped to pole here by Hamilton this time last week, but this time round it was Bottas who came out on top in the final round.
While temperatures were higher than they had been last week, and the tyres provided by Pirelli a step softer overall, Bottas felt it was all the work that he and the team had done in the intervening period that had bade the crucial difference.
"I just love qualifying, especially when it goes well. It's a good feeling and really amazed to get everything out of myself and out of the car," he said. "Really pleased and proud to drive this amazing car, it's so quick.
"Set-up wise we made good steps from last weekend, I think that's why qualifying performance for me was better than last weekend," he explained.
As for Hamilton, the Briton didn't try to hide his disappointment at missing out on a fourth consecutive pole position for the season and simply felt that he hadn't been up to the mark,
"I wasn't that great," said Hamilton. "Valtteri did a good job and deserved pole. For me it just wasn't a perfect last lap."
While Bottas had been fastest in the first two rounds of qualifying, Hamilton initially had the upper hand after the two went out on soft tyres at the start of Q3.
Their second run was on the nominally slower medium compound, but both men found more time than they had on their initial outings. Bottas found slightly more extra performance to set a time of 1:25.154s that Hamilton was unable to match.
Both men will start tomorrow's race on the medium compound. However Hamilton said it was almost impossible top follow last week's one-stop strategy here again on Sunday.
Bottas lost second place after his tyres failed two laps form the end. And Hamilton himself suffered a puncture on the final home and only just limped home ahead of Max Verstappen.
With hotter weather and softer, less durable tyres this week, Hamilton felt everyone would have to make at least two stops this time.
"I don't think many people will be managing with a softer [compound]," he insisted.
"I really was already managing last weekend and the tyre didn't make it to the end. So it's highly unlikely I think many people will do a one-stop tomorrow."
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