It was clear from the onset of the practice session that a Mercedes driver would take pole position. But, whether it was going to be Valtteri Bottas or Lewis Hamilton, remained unclear until the final seconds of Q3.

Eventually, it was Bottas who emerged victorious in that particular fight. And tomorrow, he will start in pole alongside Lewis Hamilton, in what will be another Mercedes front row lockout.

Recent record-breaker Hamilton, had nothing but respect and appreciation for his teammate. And even said that few people could match up to Bottas’ level, in a fight for race supremacy.

Lewis Hamilton believes Valtteri Bottas does his talking on the track

Speaking in an interview, Hamilton stated, “I have more poles than anyone here, so it’s not like I’m a slowpoke. And so he’s doing an amazing job.”

“I think his result today speaks for itself. And I don’t really need to say much more. He does his talking on the track and that’s the great thing about Valtteri.”

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That Bottas has found it hard to swallow starting second, is probably what fuels his desire to attain pole position every race. And today, he extracted the maximum performance from his Mercedes W11 to deliver the expectation.

“I don’t think there’s many people that can do what he’s doing, if I’m really honest. I’ve got a huge amount of respect for him.” concluded Hamilton in his comments.

The Finn driver was decent in the solitary practice session, finishing behind Hamilton and Verstappen. But, he brought his real game into qualifying and deservedly secured pole.

Bottas will face a tough challenge from Hamilton in the race

Although there are limited overtaking opportunities and narrow chicane areas, Bottas will need to be careful of getting a good start. The first lap from that perspective, is crucial to command a good lead.

Bottas has a certain culpability of not making the most of his opportunities when presented. And especially with Hamilton and Verstappen right behind him, the pressure will be there when the lights go out in Imola.

The Drivers’ championship race might just be a little too late to revive from Bottas’ end. But, his victory would certainly be enough for Mercedes, to seal yet another Constructors’ title.