Bottas on beating Hamilton: Qualifing battle key

Valtteri Bottas believes his winter homework will be all about improving his qualifying game. He insists this improvement will help him give him an advantage over Lewis Hamilton in 2019.

Bottas is yet to win a race this season but has qualified on pole twice. A run of bad luck during the first half of the season cost him a championship fight. Since the halfway point, he's been playing second fiddle to Hamilton.

"Especially with the way Formula 1 is nowadays, I need to improve my performance in qualifying if I want to try and beat Lewis," Bottas told Motorsport.

Bottas could well be hunted down by a plethora of young talent desperate for his seat in 2020. The likes of Esteban Ocon and even George Russell could be making markers to join Mercedes. But the Finn isn't bothered.

"It doesn't worry me, because I know what my situation is. It's with the team, we've a very good team spirit. And I'm getting better with the team all the time," Bottas added.