Bottas wins pole at Spanish GP ahead of Hamilton

MONTMELO, Spain (AP) — Formula One leader Valtteri Bottas won pole position for a third straight grand prix after topping qualifying at the Spanish GP with a new track record on Saturday.

Teammate and defending champion Lewis Hamilton was next, setting up Mercedes’ dominant pair with a good shot at scoring a fifth consecutive one-two race finish to start the season.

Bottas bettered Hamilton’s track record from 2018 qualifying at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit with a lap of 1 minute, 15:406 seconds.

“I really enjoyed that adrenaline rush from those laps,” Bottas said.

“It started well, this season. Just the way I hoped for. I am feeling better and better in the car.”

Hamilton praised his teammate, who has emerged as the No. 1 challenger to stopping him from winning a sixth world title. Bottas leads Hamilton by one point in the standings.

“Valtteri did a fantastic job. He has been quick all weekend,” Hamilton said. “I just didn’t do the job on my side.”

Hamilton then said he hoped to celebrate another Mercedes team victory on Sunday, but with him on top. “I’ll be giving it everything. Great for the team to have a one-two. If I can reverse it (in the race) I’ll be happy.”

Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari will start from third, just in front of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc will start from fifth.

Vettel is 35 points behind Bottas in third place.

Hamilton won the pole at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit in the previous three seasons, going on to win the last two races.

Bottas was fastest in practice on Friday, and he showed no jitters in qualifying from the slip earlier on Saturday in the final practice when he spun off into the gravel.

Bottas shouted an emphatic “Yes!” over the car radio when he knew the pole was his after Hamilton and Vettel came up short on their last runs.

Vettel has yet to top qualifying this season, and it is clear Ferrari has made up no ground despite bringing a new engine to Spain.

“The car doesn’t feel bad, but the car is not quick enough,” Vettel said. “We are struggling a little bit to bring it together.”

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