Bottas cautious of 'peaking too soon' at Monaco GP

Valtteri Bottas stated he has entered the Monaco Grand Prix weekend cautious not to peak too soon with his gaze set firmly on Saturday's Q3 qualifying session.

Overtaking is virtually impossible on the narrow Monte Carlo streets and therefore qualifying on pole carries more importance this weekend than at any other race on the calendar.

Although Bottas has topped at least one practice session at three of the first four races this year, the Finn has only one pole position to his name this year after qualifying fastest for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

“I’m already looking to Q3," he said. "I think the last couple of qualifyings have been good in terms of my performance and I need to make sure that I peak in Q3, not in Q1 or two.

"So it is really going to be a lot about building it up through the practice and maximising the learning in practice and trying to put it all together in Q3."

Bottas has never started from pole in Monaco but after missing out by less than one-tenth to team-mate Lewis Hamilton on F1's last visit to the Principality in 2019, the Finn is eager to switch the order this time around.

He explained: “In 2019 I missed the pole by a bit less than a tenth and it was all the last corner.

"I remember in the last corner I had a bit of understeer and went too wide on the kerb and then I upshifted whilst I had wheelspin on the kerb. The shift got downgrades so I lost momentum and it was so annoying.

“I knew that after that, winning the race, I made it... not impossible but nearly."

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