“At least we could fight” – Valtteri Bottas takes positive stock of Kick Sauber’s progress in Mexico

Asked whether there was more to be gained from the improved package to get closer to the competition, Bottas added: “The gaps are small. We see that the gaps are a little larger at race pace, which is what we need to focus on.

“Qualifying is actually extremely close and we should have a few new parts before the end of the year, but exactly when is not yet clear.”

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On the other side of the garage, Zhou Guanyu endured a difficult afternoon after suffering a braking problem before finally crossing the finish line in P15. Nevertheless, the Chinese rider was positive about his pace at the start of the event.

“I had quite a few problems with the brakes, so I had to do more over the course of a lap, about two seconds per lap after the first five/six laps,” he explained. “Otherwise the pace was good.