Valtteri Bottas is poised to become a major threat to teammate and defending Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton after clocking a scorching lap at the Spanish Grand Prix to win his third consecutive pole position on Saturday.
MONTMELO, Spain (AP) — Valtteri Bottas is poised to become a major threat to teammate and defending Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton after clocking a scorching lap at the Spanish Grand Prix to win his third consecutive pole position on Saturday.
Bottas smashed Hamilton’s track record at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit in qualifying, rocketing through the 4.6-kilometer (2.5-mile) track in 1 minute, 15.406 to better Hamilton’s mark from 2018.
More importantly for Bottas’ hopes in Sunday’s race was the gap of more than half a second he established over the best effort from Hamilton.
Bottas, who failed to win a race last season, leads Hamilton by one point in the standings after they have alternated places in their run of one-two finishes.
“I really enjoyed that adrenaline rush from those laps,” Bottas said. “It started well, this season. Just the way I hoped for. I am feeling better and better in the car.”
With Hamilton second on the grid, Mercedes is in great position to extend its record start after the pair swept the top two spots at the first four races.
