Valtteri Bottas is optimistic about his chances in the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix after a strong qualifying session, which gives Sauber hope it can score its first points of the year.
Sauber has endured a dire 2024 with comfortably the slowest car on the grid and has yet to pick up a point.
Its much-vaunted United States GP upgrade package offered a slight improvement, but Bottas could only muster 17th during the race.
An indictment of Sauber’s current form, Bottas is rooted to the bottom of the Drivers’ standings despite three drivers who no longer have a seat outperforming him across the year.
But qualifying in Mexico could indicate a turning point for the Finn and Sauber, starting 15th for Sunday’s race, his best result since starting 10th at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Asked if the result meant there was light at the end of the tunnel for Sauber, Bottas replied, “yes, I think so. I mean, it’s been a long time since we’ve been in Q2, so, that’s good.”
Even so, Yuki Tsunoda’s crash that brought an end to Q2 with a Red Flag stopped Bottas from taking an even better result.
“It’s just a shame with the Red Flag,” Bottas told select media including Motorsport Week. “I was also on a good lap, I think we should have been better than P15 today.
“I was happy with the lap, I was happy with the set-up we ended up with, and to get in Q2 with probably the slowest car on the grid, I’ve got to be happy.”
A golden opportunity
The unique circumstances surrounding his higher start for the race are not lost on Bottas, who says it’s “all to play for,” adding Mexico is the best opportunity in 2024 to score points.
“I think we are in a much better place to fight here in the race than in any of the previous events, so there’s still all to play for tomorrow,” he reflected.
The biggest challenge for the 10-time Grand Prix winner will be keeping the out-of-position Oscar Piastri and Sergio Perez at bay as they attempt to charge through the field.
However, Bottas is confident he can hang on at the start and progress up the order, highlighting the C44 is more competitive than last weekend at the US GP.
“Yes, for sure it’s going to be a tough race, but I think the pace difference in the race should also be a little bit less than in the previous events,” he said.
“We’ll try to hang on, we’ll try to maximise everything, and you never know. But we’re for sure in a better place than last weekend.”
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