Bottas is disappointed with the yellow flag: "I could certainly have been faster"

Valtteri Bottas was the fastest of the two Mercedes drivers in practice and therefore seemed likely to beat Lewis Hamilton for the first time in four race weekends. However, due to a yellow flag caused by Esteban Ocon, that was not possible.

“Definitely, I could have gone even faster. I still had more time in there. Run one was OK, but not perfect. I was looking forward to the last lap but I didn't get the opportunity. It's disappointing because the speed has been good all weekend," Bottas said after the session.

“Before the weekend we thought overtaking would be almost impossible, but based on the experiences during the free practice sessions, I have to say that the track is so wide and there are so many different lines in the corners that it might be possible," said the Finnish driver.