Bottas: Antonelli absorbs information like a sponge

      Valtteri Bottas did not participate in pre-season testing for the first time in 12 years, but watched what was happening on the track in Bahrain, either from the Mercedes pits or from the pit wall. In an interview with Sky Sports, the Finn, who now serves as the team's reserve driver, admitted that he was experiencing unusual sensations.…

      Valtteri Bottas: "Of course, watching from the sidelines how everyone is working on the tests, I feel strange. However, I also enjoy working with the team in this capacity, because I am aware of everything that is going on at Mercedes and how our business is progressing.

      I think everything was going well in the tests, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli drove a lot of laps, there were no major problems, so the whole program was completed. We can say that we have made a good start, and both drivers say that they are already seeing some progress. In general, the goals that the team faced at this stage of preparation for the season have been achieved.

      Of course, we have already made plans for further work to be done before Melbourne, where the first race will take place. In general, it seems that everything is going in the right direction. However, almost the same thing can be heard in the garages of other teams, or at least in 90% of them.

      In any case, it is still difficult to predict exactly what the balance of power will be, and to what extent the teams will have time to upgrade the cars for the Australian Grand Prix."

      When Valtteri was asked how Russell's 18-year-old team-mate Antonelli was adapting to Formula 1, he replied: "Kimi is doing well, he absorbs information like a sponge. He's a nice guy, and he has a lot to learn, and very quickly.

      But he's good at it, although, of course, there's a lot to learn in the process of preparing for his debut race. He has several very interesting weeks ahead of him, but so far he is coping with these tasks normally and has learned a lot in three days of tests.

      Of course, now, after the breakup with Lewis Hamilton and the arrival of Kimi, the atmosphere in the team has become somewhat different, I can see this even after a three-year break in cooperation with Mercedes. But only after the first few races will it become clear what level we are at now.

      In any case, it's good to see that the team still has the fighting spirit that it needs to win races. He hasn't gone anywhere, and I know for a fact that no one at Mercedes will be particularly happy if we take second place.

      I'm going to Australia before anyone else, because next weekend Sydney will host the Race of Champions, which I'm participating in, and I'm already looking forward to this interesting event."