Valtteri Bottas was left disappointed with his qualifying session as he managed to set only the fifth fastest time in Q3, but will start fourth due to Max Verstappen's five second penalty.
Bottas is considered an expert at the Sochi Autodrom, having won there in 2017 and finishing second in 2018, after the famous team orders at Mercedes.
Following the qualifying session, Bottas lamented the fact he couldn't get to grips with turn 13, telling Ziggo Sport: "There is always a chance tomorrow, but I had a hard time today in turn 13.
"There was a bit more wind this afternoon, but I don't know. I have the same problem every lap. I keep sliding halfway through that corner and that was so bad in the last qualifying round that I lost several tenths."
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Bahrain Grand Prix
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Practice 1
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Practice 2
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Practice 3
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Qualification
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Race
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Practice 1
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Practice 2
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Practice 3
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Qualification
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Race
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Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 302 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 236 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 199 | |
4 | McLarenMCL | 186 | |
5 | FerrariFER | 179 | |
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