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Watch the Imola race live on Sky Sports F1 on Sunday. Preparation of the race from 10:30 a.m. M. With lights off at 12:10 p.m. M. Mercedes prepares to clinch the 2020 constructors’ title and return to the front row ahead of Max Verstappen, with Valtteri Bottas on pole this time
By James Galloway
Last Updated: 11/01/20 7:10 am
27:31
Ted Kravitz wraps up all the qualifying action at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix and looks ahead to Sunday’s race
Valtteri Bottas will try to improve his F1 pole success rate and beat Lewis Hamilton at an Emilia-Romagna GP in which Mercedes is poised to clinch a seventh consecutive Constructors’ Championship.
The first F1 race of a two-day weekend for the sport’s well-received return to Imola so far has not knocked out Mercedes, with the world champions enjoying their most dominant Saturday in various races as part of his eleventh one-two qualifier of the season.
But for the fourth time this year it was Bottas who won the head-to-head duel with Hamilton.
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Very often on the wrong side of a tenth of a second margin this year, it was the Finn who delivered the top final lap in Q3 this time to lead Hamilton to first F1 pole at historic Imola for 14 years.
“It has been so close many times, so now at least it’s the other way around,” Bottas admitted to Sky F1. “It’s a good feeling to get the lap at the end.”
But Sunday’s challenge for Bottas is certainly more formidable.
4:55 SkyPad Exclusive: Valtteri Bottas talks about his pole-winning lap as he edged Lewis Hamilton by 0.097s at the end of Q3 at Imola
For starters, the Finn has a conversion rate of just 36 percent (five wins from 14 poles) when he previously started from the top of the grid in Formula 1.
He has also lost the lead to Hamilton in each of the last two grands prix, in Germany and Portugal.
Bottas admitted: “I need to be on the ball tomorrow if I’m going to win because this guy [Hamilton] it’s pretty fast, and I’m sure Max [Verstappen] going to challenge too. “
Sunday’s race is live at 12:10 p.m. M. In Sky Sports F1, with a great preparation starting at 10.30 a.m. M.
Top 10 on Sunday’s Imola grid
| 1) Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes | 2) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes |
| 3) Max Verstappen, Red Bull | 4) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri |
| 5) Daniel Ricciardo, Renault | 6) Alexander Albon, Red Bull |
| 7) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari | 8) Daniil Kvyat, AlphaTauri |
| 9) Lando Norris, McLaren | 10) Carlos Sainz, McLaren |
Hamilton waiting for second place? And Verstappen?
Leading Bottas by 77 points in the championship, Hamilton is likely to have a first shot at clinching a seventh Drivers’ Championship as soon as the next event in Turkey on November 15, regardless of what happens in Sunday’s race.
But a ninth win of the season at Imola would certainly put a hand on the trophy again.
Although Hamilton was not particularly satisfied with any of his laps in Q3, the six-time champion seemed relaxed from losing pole and vowing to “give everything I have” to win the race from second on the grid.
But the world champion cautioned that following, and in particular overtaking, would not be easy on a fast and fluid Imola circuit that has never been famous for its passing opportunities.
“You can overtake on this long straight, but it’s pretty narrow, and you can’t go on,” Hamilton said.
“Once you get to turn one, there isn’t a single place to overtake anywhere else. It’s going to be a challenge for the people following you, but like I said, hopefully the DRS will provide some overtaking opportunities in curve one for people.
“For us, that means … you see, we are half a tenth of each other and to have the opportunity to pass, I think you have to have a gain of something like two seconds or something with the car in front to have a opportunity.
“However, tomorrow I will give everything I have and keep my fingers crossed.”
1:19 Max Verstappen says he wants to narrow the gap between himself and the Mercedes after qualifying third at Imola
Max Verstappen, however, may take more than crossing your fingers to really blend in with the Mercedes pair at the 63-lap race distance.
The Dutchman starts third on the grid for the seventh time this year after a qualifying session interrupted by an electrical problem on his Red Bull at the start of Q2. It left him time for a single timed lap at the end of the session after a quick repair job on the equipment in the garage.
“I try all the time!” Said a smiling Verstappen when asked if Sunday would be tighter with Mercedes.
“Let’s see how fast they are going to be.”
Verstappen shares the second row with his former teammate Pierre Gasly, who starred again in 2020 to take AlphaTauri’s best grid position in F1 since the 2008 Italian GP, when a young Sebastian Vettel claimed the only pole of the time. Toro Rosso team.
Daniel Ricciardo, another former Verstappen teammate, starts fifth for Renault. Current Red Bull stablemate Alex Albon is sixth ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
How Mercedes can clinch the first world title of 2020
Mercedes leads runner-up Red Bull, the only other team still in mathematical contention, by 209 points in the Constructors’ Championship heading into Sunday’s race, the thirteenth round of the 17-race season.
Only a maximum of 176 points remain at stake in the four post-Imola events.
So to deny Mercedes the crowning of other constructors on Sunday, Red Bull must surpass its big rivals in 34 points to make them wait at least two more weeks for Turkey to retain the trophy.
But even if Red Bull finished one-two with the fastest lap (44 points), a Mercedes driver would only have to finish fourth to secure the team another crown with four races to spare.
So with the high probability that the constructors ‘race will be resolved on Sunday, Mercedes is set to advance alongside Lotus in seven Constructors’ Championship titles in F1 history, one less than McLaren and two less than. Williams. Ferrari leads the all-time table with 16.
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