MONZA, Italy -- Valtteri Bottas says the Mercedes he took to second place at the Italian Grand Prix felt better than it has done all year, but believes the world champions would be foolish to think its performance signals a monumental shift in the title race.
Lewis Hamilton led Bottas home in a dominant one-two for the German manufacturer, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel a distant third. Rain on Saturday had caught the Ferraris out and forced them to start from the third row and, once Bottas cleared Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon, the Finn remained comfortable until the chequered flag.
Having lost a position to Kimi Raikkonen off the line, Bottas is pleased with how his race unfolded.
"I actually had three cars to pass in the beginning as the start was quite poor, with a lot of wheel spin one Ferrari got past, so I had to get him first. That was going to be the most difficult and most important part for us, but I managed to get him really quickly and then I was quickly up to P2.
"The car was so well balanced today, so strong, for sure we're quick in the straights but this weekend we were also quick in every single corner, we found a stability this weekend we never had before, but this is a unique track, we can't rely on that to think we're quickest -- that's not the case."
"Singapore will be a completely different another story there, but we were the quickest here, had the perfect result for us as a team, congratulations to Lewis for his win and with me second it was perfect for us, but we need to learn the lessons from today to be strong again in Singapore."
With Mercedes holding a clear edge on race pace, Bottas believes patience was key to helping Mercedes maximise its result.
"The was tricky but I needed to keep my head down and get the places step by step. The car was so strong today, like I said on the team radio it was amazing how quick we were, it was pure joy today. I enjoyed it and it was the perfect result for us as a team, so thank you team. No dramas today."