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Bottas concedes Ferrari advantage but Mercedes improvements possible

Valtteri Bottas ended qualifying in Sochi just 0.095 seconds shy of poleman Sebastian Vettel , conceding to the Scuderia's current speed advantage.

The Finn out-paced team mate Lewis Hamilton again but the effort just wasn't good enough.

"Well I think it's pretty clear to see from the result, Ferrari was quicker today," Bottas said.

"We were close in the end, but not quite enough.

"To be honest, the whole weekend, they've had the upper hand and been able to extract much more especially from the ultra-soft tyre, and that's where we really struggled yesterday."

Vettel and Raikkonen lock out Sochi front row

Bottas believes Mercedes is still a work in progress with improvements possible by tomorrow when the lead contenders line up on the grid.

"We made improvements for today, but obviously not quite enough still," Bottas added.

"Good team effort to get close, we're on the second row. As always, tomorrow is the day that really counts.

"I think a second row start here is not actually that bad a thing. It's a pretty long run into Turn 1."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.