OMNISPORT

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas has apologized to his team after crashing out of qualifying at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Saturday. Bottas collided with a wall at Turn 2 early in Q3, causing substantial damage to the car and putting himself at risk of a five-place grid penalty should a new gearbox be required.

It is a far from ideal start to the season for the Finn, who is fighting to retain his Silver Arrows seat for 2019.

"I think I was just pushing a bit too hard," he said. "I went wide in Turn 1 and the kerb was still a bit damp. I lost the rear of the car and hit the wall outside of Turn 2. It's very unfortunate and I feel sorry for the team because we have a really competitive car. It looked like it was damaged pretty badly, so I really hope we can fix it for the race.

"Overtaking is difficult on this track, but we'll try everything we can. Maybe it's a little easier this year with the added DRS zone, we'll find out tomorrow. We have a good car, so I'll try to fight back the best I can. Once we get the car in the window, it seems like it's really quick, so that's something positive from today."

Teammate Lewis Hamilton, who put his Mercedes on pole ahead of Ferrari duo Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel, sympathized with Bottas.

"I know how hard Valtteri has been working and I know the pain he feels right now, but he will recover," he added. "He was very quick through practice and he has been putting a lot of effort into growing as a driver and as a member of the team. I have all the confidence in him to pull through again tomorrow."