Bottas surprised by Ferrari outperformance

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Qualifying one spot ahead of his team mate wasn't much of a consolation for Valtteri Bottas who exited qualifying worried about Mercedes' pace deficit in Hungary relative to arch rivals Ferrari.

The usually optimistic Finn casts a doubt on Mercedes' ability to challenge the red squad in Sunday's race given the Scuderia's advantage around the twisty Hungaroring layout.

"They had the upper hand today, Bottas conceded.

"They have such quicker cars. They have everything right for this track. We still have so much work to do on circuits like this. Let’s see how this goes tomorrow."

Hamilton to rely on strategy to fight for race win

Bottas insisted however that despite the gap with the leaders, he spared no effort in qualifying Saturday afternoon.

"I had to give it everything today. In my first run, the lap was already quite good. Then on the second run in Q3, I was fast in sector one and two but then the tyres overheated and I lost time in sector three.

"Overall I don't think there was much more in it for us today. I was surprised by the pace of Ferrari. Yesterday we were hoping that it was going to be a really tight fight for the pole.

"It was, but they had the advantage. Now we need to focus on tomorrow. It will be really close on race pace between the top three teams.

"Starting from third is not too bad. I need a good start and hopefully we can nail the strategy tomorrow."

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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.