Bottas predicts: 'He has a great chance of fighting for P1'

Mercedes was satisfied with the first two free practices despite damage to the car. Bottas finished in front during the first practice, while Hamilton did the same a few hours later. The Finnish driver was satisfied with his own performance.

Bottas started very fast and quickly took P1. The driver had his Mercedes car well under control throughout the race. "I think in terms of pace it wasn't a bad start," he told Motorsport. "It was good to see that we are close together. The tarmac is still quite slippery, especially the rear of the car is quite loose in some places, so it wasn't easy. I found the medium tyre the best to work with so far, but there is still work to be done."

Battle between Red Bull and Mercedes

This season is all about the battle between Mercedes and Red Bull. Although Max Verstappen did not disappoint with two second-place times, Sergio Pérez's performance was again mixed. Bottas finds it hard to say what it means for the rest of the weekend. "In the second free practice on soft tyres, I couldn't set a good time. I think whoever manages to do a good job on the night has a great chance to fight for P1."

For now, the battle in the standings is between Verstappen and Hamilton. The seven-time world champion captured the first race in Bahrain, while Verstappen was the best in Imola. On Saturday both drivers will battle for P1.