“Cruel” F1 World Almost Forced Valtteri Bottas to Retire

Valtteri Bottas has opened up about a difficult spell in his F1 career that drove him to the brink of quitting the sport altogether. While speaking to former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestly, the #77 driver referenced his time with Mercedes and how the “cruel” paddock almost got the better of him.

The 2018 season was Bottas’ second season with the Silver Arrows after replacing Nico Rosberg, who retired after his championship triumph over Lewis Hamilton in 2016. However, 2018 would be one of the most difficult seasons Bottas would ever endure in his racing career.

Appearing on the Pitlane Life Lessons podcast, Bottas revealed, “I almost nearly quit my career because I was fed up with the F1 world. I thought it was cruel to me. Somehow I managed to pick myself up and win the first race [Australian GP] of 2019.”

Bottas finished fifth in the driver’s standings at the end of 2018. He went winless the entire year, finishing outside the podium places in the last four races consecutively.

As a result, he was at the receiving end of immense criticism – from fans and the media alike. But from his own perspective, he had to swallow the bitter pill that he always had to play the team game rather than take the fight to his teammate Hamilton.

In the past, Bottas has revealed that going toe-to-toe with Hamilton was one of the biggest challenges of his career. But despite his setback, Bottas finished second in the drivers’ championship twice in 2019 and 2020.

His stint with Mercedes also took a toll on his personality. He had to sacrifice several things, including his freedom. But when Sauber came calling, it turned out to be one of the best decisions he’s made, at least from a personal perspective.

How Bottas established himself as one of Mercedes’ biggest assets?

Since Bottas struggled to beat Hamilton for the most part, many often criticized the Finnish driver for not being good enough. However, if one were to have a look back at Bottas’ stint with Mercedes, they will realize that he played the second driver role perfectly and helped Mercedes win the Constructors’ championship in every season he was with them.

Even in 2021 when Hamilton failed to win the Drivers’ title, Bottas did enough to help Mercedes win the Constructors’ championship for a record eighth consecutive time. Bottas finished third in the Drivers’ standings in 2021 with 226 points.

He scored 36 points more than what Sergio Perez scored that year. With Max Verstappen beating Hamilton for his maiden title by eight points, Bottas’ points tally proved vital to help Mercedes beat Red Bull in the Constructors’ Champioship by 28 points.

What really helped Bottas regain his mojo in 2019 was to just “step back and look at the bigger picture”. Bottas’ Mercedes career came to an end after a mutual consensus with Mercedes as George Russell was anointed as the #77 driver’s successor and Hamilton’s teammate from 2022 onwards.