Valtteri Bottas was announced as a Mercedes driver following Nico Rosberg’s sudden retirement after the 2016 season. Bottas was promoted from his Williams seat and was paired up alongside Lewis Hamilton.
Although the big move meant Bottas was finally able to drive a championship-winning car, it did not go his way. For most of his 5 seasons with the Silver Arrows, Bottas played second fiddle to Hamilton and was rarely a star of the show.
Bottas was usually behind his experienced teammate in terms of pace and positions. And occasionally when the Finn was ahead, team orders directed him to sacrifice his position for Lewis’s title hopes.
Since making the move to Alfa Romeo in 2022, Bottas revealed that the challenge to beat Lewis took a toll on his mental health. And that he feels more relieved in his new outfit.
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Valtteri Bottas found it hard to accept Lewis Hamilton was a better driver
Valtteri Bottas drove for Mercedes from 2017 to 2021. But despite his 10-GP wins and 58 podiums, the Finn was regularly criticised for not being on par with Lewis Hamilton.
Bottas himself wasn’t impressed by his difference in catching up to the 7-time World Champion. It was only after the moved to Alfa Romeo that he made peace with himself.
He shared, “I couldn’t accept Lewis was a better driver until this past year. It was difficult to accept under such a competitive nature at Mercedes.”
Bottas added, “I’ve always wondered how I was able to beat him and become the world champion. It was a very demanding five years. It was difficult for me to accept defeat after expecting to win everything right away.”
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Bottas sought therapy before moving to Alfa Romeo
Valtteri Bottas reflects that he should give himself a couple of years before challenging Lewis. And after Mercedes named George Russell as his replacement, he consulted professional help when his career was at a crossroads.
Bottas said, “Last season was even more challenging. my future was on the line and I wasn’t sure which team I would drive for. So it was a big step to request help from others.“
He revealed that in an extremely competitive and high-pressure environment like F1, a driver’s mental health goes unnoticed. Valtteri knows he isn’t the only one to have encountered such a situation and that seeking professional help should be encouraged.
The Finn stated, “You think you’re such a tough guy and that you don’t need help, that you can take care of things by yourself. But a professional knows how to ask the right questions and understands you better.”
Bottas is set to embark on his second season with Alfa Romeo in 2023. He scored 49 points last season and finished 10th in the standings.
