Bottas enjoying every lap around 'fun and cool' Mugello

©Mercedes

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Valtteri Bottas enjoyed a double dose of pleasure on Friday, setting the pace in both practice sessions for the Tuscan Grand Prix and loving the experience of driving around Mugello's fast sweeps.

Bottas echoed his fellow drivers' positive impressions about the challenging Italian track where F1 is racing for the very first time this weekend.

"It’s a lot of fun, really cool, especially after we go into Turn 1, the first section, the old section is fantastic and the second sector is also amazing, so I really enjoyed every single lap today," said the Mercedes driver.

"It’s one of the most physical tracks, no doubt about it. I still think we’ll only see it in the race distance, once the fatigue starts to build up, but could even see that today.

"It’s going to be a tough Sunday for everyone, but I’m definitely ready for it, so I’m looking forward to it."

Beyond the physical challenge, Bottas also underlined Mugello's crucial impact on tyre wear.

"It is tough, it’s a really high-energy circuit for the tyres, but it was quite a bit better than what we expected, so, that’s good news," he added.

"Always, in the high-speed corners, we are going to be overheating and Sunday is going to be pretty hot as well."

Hamilton just 'not that great' yet around Mugello

The eight-time Grand Prix winner, who edged teammate Lewis Hamilton by 0.207s in FP2, is confident of holding his own at the head of the field on Saturday by unlocking the full potential of his Black Arrow.

"In the first session I struggled quite a bit with understeer, and still in some places in the second session, but it was definitely better," said the Finn.

"There’s still quite a bit of lap time to unlock, as it always happens on a track where you and the cars haven’t been to.

"As a driver you tend to find pretty big gains from one day to the other, so I think that from the car, but even more so from the drivers, we will find performance."

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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.