Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas was delighted to reach Q3 in qualifying at the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, hailing it among the “best laps” in his Formula 1 career.
Bottas qualified in ninth place, as the Sauber car once again looked competitive after Zhou Guanyu’s eighth-place finish at the Qatar Grand Prix last weekend.
After his tidy run, Bottas exclaimed over the radio “That’s as fast as she goes” as he placed himself ahead of the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez.
The Finn has failed to score any points this season as his best finish of the season has been 11th place, in what has been a challenging term for Sauber.
However, in his final outing for the team since joining in 2022, Bottas has the opportunity to score some points in what could also be his final race in F1.
“We made a step with the car couple of races ago and it’s much more alive, there’s much more potential and we just got it right and definitely felt like one of the better, one of the best laps of my career and that’s a good feeling,” Bottas said.
“I really feel like we started the weekend on [the] right set-up with… in the right way with the feeling of the car and since then we’ve been just fine-tuning it and I just found this good confidence.
“That’s when you can be so precise and only fine-tuning certain settings and that’s it.
“Also on top of that finally I have a car that I can actually do something which is kind of nice.
Bottas wanted ‘late’ Sauber upgrade earlier
It has been a difficult campaign for Bottas, but Sauber’s upgrade has given the 35-year-old a shot at ending the season on a high.
Despite being grateful to finally have a competitive car, Bottas expressed his frustrations with the timing of the development of the car.
He added: “Yeah it is satisfying but it’s quite late in the season to get the upgrade.
“It would have been a bit nicer if it [was] earlier but that’s how it goes sometimes and if the saying is right you’re only as good as your last race.
“Hopefully we have a good one tomorrow.”
With 10 wins and 67 podiums, Bottas has had quite a successful F1 career and the ex-Mercedes driver reflected on his mindset heading into, potentially, his final race
“There is a bit of emotion,” he said.
“It’s a bit [of a] different feeling knowing, well having that uncertainty of actually what’s next and knowing it is the last time with the team and there’s a bit more emotion for me.
“But in the car, nothing changes, you’re just doing your thing but it’s more like before and after that just feels a bit weirder.”
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