Bottas: Mercedes qualifying pace unknown

Valtteri Bottas concedes Mercedes is unsure of its true one-lap pace in qualifying having opted against any pure pace runs during 2018 Formula 1 pre-season testing.

Having tested exclusively on the medium and soft tyres during the dry weather running, Mercedes chose not to measure its potential qualifying pace against its front-running rivals despite seeing Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari set a new circuit record at Circuit de Catalunya of 1m 17.182s using the hypersoft tyres.

As a result, Bottas admits its one-lap speed is a relative unknown which will only be revealed at the 2018 F1 season opener during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. Despite the resurgence from Ferrari last year Mercedes still swept to 15 pole positions across the 20-race campaign between Lewis Hamilton (11) and Bottas (four) with Ferrari’s Vettel (four) and Kimi Raikkonen (one) clinching the others.

“For us, I have to say that the one-lap pure pace is a little bit unknown,” Bottas said. “We’ve seen some quick times from others but I guess we will find out in a couple of weeks.”

Bottas also dismissed the potential one-second performance gap between Mercedes and its rivals having produced an impressive race simulation during testing – which Vettel has queried as the Finn completed the race run solely on medium tyres – with the Mercedes driver explaining it was all part of getting up to speed with the 2018 F1 challenger.

“I think the long runs, the race simulation we did was really positive,” he said. “We don’t think we are one second ahead of everyone. I think that’s not the case, but it was positive. It was nice to get a race simulation under my belt as well.

“Feeling the tyres, feeling the long run, feeling the car, there’s so much time always in the race in the testing to try different things in the car so you really get comfortable. I think Lewis is doing pretty much the same.”