Despite topping both practice sessions on Friday, Valtteri Bottas could only claim the eighth fastest time in qualifying on Saturday with the Mercedes driver stating he wasn't happy with the rear of his car. While teammate Lewis Hamilton will start the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix from pole position, it was a day to forget for the Finn. After stating he was much happier with his W12 on Friday, Bottas was confused as to why the rear of his car was once again a problem during Q3. "Today was a little bit confusing and I don't understand the Q3 performance yet," Bottas stated via a Mercedes press release. "On the first run of Q3 I had oversteer and then the second run, the rear end was not so good. Not what I was aiming for today, especially with the feeling I had at the start of qualifying. "Q3 first run, I went into turn two and had a really sudden snap from the rear end and I lost a lot of time. The same in run two, I couldn't trust the rear end. That isn't something I felt in Q1 or Q2 so it's difficult to understand - we will have to investigate." Given his poor qualifying result, Bottas knows that making his way through the grid will prove problematic at Imola. "Overtaking here is difficult with a narrow track but I will fight to give it everything tomorrow," Bottas concluded.
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