Valtteri Bottas failed to make it into Q3 for the Australian Grand Prix this weekend, ending a run of 104 consecutive appearances in the final qualifying session of F1 Grand Prix racing.
Just ahead of his 3rd race as an Alfa Romeo driver, Valtteri Bottas saw his incredible Q3 streak come to an end. On Saturday, at Albert Park, the Finn was unable to get his car into Q3 for the first time after 104 consecutive appearances in the final qualifying session of F1 GP racing.
Bottas, who left Mercedes at the end of last season, had racked up a stellar 101 Q3 appearances in as many starts for the Silver Arrows. But his incredible qualifying outings stretched back from his days with Williams.
Now, after two consecutive Q3 appearances in an Alfa Romeo, Bottas’ run of making it into the final qualifying session came to an abrupt end in Melbourne. The 10-time Grand Prix winner will start Sunday’s race in P12 after being knocked out in Q2 on Saturday ahead of the Australian GP.
Bottas was hoping to continue his Q3 streak this year to close the gap on Ayrton Senna, who had 137 consecutive Q3 appearances and Alain Prost, with 109. However, the Finn will now have to start from scratch, which will be no easy feat, if he is to match up with the legends. Nevertheless, Bottas sits in third place among F1 drivers with the most consecutive Q3 appearances.
Australian Grand Prix 2022: Charles Leclerc pips Red Bulls in qualifying
While Valtteri Bottas only managed to finish P12 in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc grabbed his second pole position of the season. The Monegasque will start the race on Sunday ahead of Max Verstappen in P2 and Sergio Perez in P3.
However, Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz had a disastrous outing as he finished P9, behind the likes of Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon.
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