Valtteri Bottas was left disappointed after struggling to fifth on the grid at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Finn once again struggled when it mattered in Q3, ending almost a second off the pole time set by Charles Leclerc.
Like everyone though, Bottas admits he was surprised by the performance of Ferrari at Marina Bay.
“They seemed strong obviously and we knew they could be strong, but they were just getting better and better through qualifying, a bit more than we expected,” he said post-session.
“Still I think the second row was very possible for me. I felt really good in Q1 and Q2, but Q3 was very messy with out-laps, always traffic.
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“I couldn’t get the tyres warmed up for the timed laps and that’s why it was tricky, so it’s a shame because the potential was there,” he confirmed.
“This kind of track to find the rhythm and get the tyres in the sweet spot it makes a massive difference.
“Q3, it was way off what it should have been. We tried to find the clean air for the out-lap but you can never predict what every other team is doing, so it was a bit unlucky but that’s life.”
What Bottas didn’t mention, however, was a moment picked up by RaceFans in which his teammate Lewis Hamilton jumped ahead towards the end of the final out-lap, compromising his first sector.
“I don’t know what was Lewis doing?” said Bottas to his Mercedes team over the radio. “I was just leaving a gap to the car ahead.”