Valtteri Bottas signed for Mercedes in 2017 after four full seasons in F1 with Williams. The Finn replaced then-world champion Nico Rosberg, who retired just five days after winning the 2016 world championships in Abu Dhabi.
Valtteri Bottas started a new era in Formula 1 with renewed spirits, but after two seasons he wanted to do the same as Nico Rosberg had done. The Finn struggled to match Hamilton ‘s level and took a morale hit when he had to support the Briton down the stretch in 2018 to win his fifth title.
Bottas argues that it was difficult to have Lewis Hamilton at his side as a teammate, especially since the Briton in 2018 was already in his sixth year in the German brand and had already established his place in the team: “Lewis is dominant in the team as a driver and as a person,” Bottas said on the Motor Sport Magazine podcast. “It was hard to make a move with someone like Lewis at your side. He’s grown up in that team and well, it’s Lewis. It’s like everyone looks up to him. But it was a good experience for me.”
Bottas finished his first season with Mercedes in third place in the drivers’ championship, and a year later the Finn dropped two places in the final standings. Bottas was worn out not being able to beat Hamilton.
“At the end of 2018 I was really on the verge of quitting. I was very close to it. It was basically because I didn’t understand why I couldn’t beat Lewis in those two years. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself,” continued the now Alfa driver. Romeo, who was not happy about being given the role of a squire. “It took me a lot of work. The last four or five grands prix of 2018 were painful.
“You’re supposed to like Formula 1 because it’s cool. But for me, at the time, it wasn’t cool at all. I went to South America for the winter break. I wanted to find the fun and motivation again, and I did. “.
The experienced driver recovered during the winter break and in 2019 said he had his best season to date. “I was ahead of Lewis several times and even led the championship at one point. It was a strong year,” said Bottas, who then had to watch Hamilton bounce back. “Then came the consistency from Lewis. His performance overall was very good, I couldn’t match that.”
At the end of 2021, the partnership with Mercedes came to an end. After five seasons, Bottas had to seek shelter at Alfa Romeo and Mercedes youngster George Russell was given the chance to test alongside Hamilton. Bottas has indicated on several occasions this year that he feels very comfortable in the Swiss team, and Russell so far surpasses the seven-time champion in almost all aspects.
