Mercedes’s Valtteri Bottas topped the first free practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, edging Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo by just 0.035 seconds and blitzing Ferrari by more than two seconds.
A number-one driver needs a certain killer instinct. Bottas seems to lack it.
Mercedes topped both practice sessions, but not by as much as some feared during the preseason.
Sebastian Vettel burst his own championship dream, but in the midfield two drivers kcikstarted theirs.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix once again delivered a lack of racing to close the Formula One season.
Valtteri Bottas has ended his debut Mercedes season with victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton will start on the front row in Abu Dhabi.
Valtteri Bottas capitalised on Lewis Hamilton crashing out of qualifying to seize pole position.
Valtteri Bottas is developing a bad habit of qualifying more than half a second behind Hamilton.
Neither Lewis Hamilton nor Valtteri Bottas could agree on how best to improve the car in Malaysia.
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas are expecting no Sunday miracles in the Singapore Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton's only path to the title could be through Valtteri Bottas and team orders.
Valtteri Bottas was quickest in practice while Sebastian Vettel panned the shield safety device.
Valtteri Bottas has defied expectation to put himself in championship contention in 2017.
Sebastian Vettel couldn't catch Valtteri Bottas in Austria, falling short by just six-tenths of a second.
Lewis Hamilton couldn't minimise the damage of his five-place grid penalty by topping qualifying.
Bottas banished some team-order demons with his first career win at the Russian Grand Prix.
Valtteri Bottas has become Finland's fifth grand prix winner after commanding the Russian Grand Prix.