Few pundits would have put a wager on Valtteri Bottas qualifying as high as sixth in Bahrain on Saturday evening, and indeed the Finn himself was surprised by his performance.
There was no doubting the ability of Alfa Romeo's new driver, but the Swiss outfit's troubled pre-season preparations suggested that the Swiss outfit was heading into the opening round at Sakhir on the back foot.
Instead, Bottas will line up on Sunday's grid alongside his old friend Lewis Hamilton who qualified fifth.
And in parc fermé, the Mercedes driver saluted his former teammate's performance with a well-deserved thumbs up.
