Of the many drivers to have embraced this sport, Valtteri Bottas is quite a unique driver. One can make an argument of where his fame and stature would be, had Lewis Hamilton not been this teammate.

Nevertheless, he has been on top of his game this season and mostly finished in the podium places. But it was not the Q3 Valtteri Bottas was expecting, with a brilliant final lap by Verstappen pushing him to third.

However, this could prove to be a blessing in disguise for him. Because a similar situation in the 2017 Russian Grand Prix saw him win the race with Mercedes.

Valtteri Bottas aiming to replicate a similar start

Speaking in the post-qualy press conference, Bottas said, “I remember I started once in third here and I know what happened then. So, for sure, I’ll try to do the same. I really think I will have an advantage with the medium tyre in the first stint, so still all to play for.

“Just didn’t feel I was gaining much grip from the previous sessions. I think even Q2 it felt better, so a few question marks for me about what really happened.  Or maybe I was just playing games and wanted to start third.”

The 2017 Russian Grand Prix really saw a terrific start from Bottas. With Kimi Raikkonen unable to get that extra push from the Ferrari power unit, Bottas sped past him to get into the slipstream next to Sebastian Vettel.

And when they got to Turn 2, he overtook Vettel round the outside and got in front. He went on to claim his maiden Russian GP victory, and it certainly was well deserved.

Mercedes fail to get a front-row lockout

Although Bottas can rely on his confidence from the 2017 race, the times and rivals have changed. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are definitely not slackers. And so, their major focus is to extract power from the engine to give them the best chance of getting in front before Turn 3.

However, the one thing that the Mercedes cars will be keeping an eye on is Verstappen’s power unit. The Honda engine has been a focal point of a few of Max’s retirements.

And if he does not accelerate in time from P2, he could see himself lose positions. In any case, Bottas will be ready to pounce on such mistakes. Maybe qualifying in P3 could have a silver lining after all.