After his dismal performance the year before, the Finnish Formula driver thought he’d get kicked out of the team, but he has managed to stay afloat.
In 2018, Valtteri Bottas never won a single Formula One race and ranked fifth in the tournament results, bested by his teammate Lewis Hamilton, both Ferrari drivers, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. In 2019, he won four Gran Prix stages and ranked 2nd in the driver list. Mercedes acknowledged his success by prolonging his contract until 2021, something the driver wasn’t hopeful of when he opened the season.
Bottas believes that a bad 2019 would not just endanger his standing in the Mercedes team, but actually his entire Formula 1 career. He admitted to feeling frustrated and tired of racing towards the end of 2018, but regaining enthusiasm after a few successes. Right now, he thinks his motorsports future holds much for him still.
Opening up to the fullest, Valtteri Bottas admitted he literally counted the days until the end of the 2018 season, but feels a great deal better now.