“It would be a different kind of mindset”– Valtteri Bottas claims his thinking and approach towards a race will change after leaving Mercedes.
Valteri Bottas is reportedly on the brink of losing his role in Mercedes and could be replaced by George Russell at the start of 2022. And, Bottas is certainly prepared to get the bad news.
Speaking extensively on his possible exit from Mercedes, he revealed how his mindset towards racing would change, which would be drastically different from his current approach.
“It’s all really hypothetical thinking, but I’m being really honest and yes for sure it would be a different kind of mindset,” Bottas told RacingNews365.com.
“It would be completely a new kind of chapter in the career, and I think your mental approach is going to be different. Most likely wouldn’t be fighting for the wins and the title, at least initially, so it would be a new project.
“On the other hand, that could be also very interesting, but as I said before, my intention is keeping my seat because I think we make a really strong team now at Mercedes as we are, so let’s see.”
Don’t want to leave F1.
Bottas has mentioned that he isn’t willing to trade F1 for other motorsports like rallying and IndyCar and would prefer to remain in F1 only for the following year.
“I know what I want. I want to stay with the team,” the Finnish said. “I think that’s the best chance for me to win races next year and fight for the title.
“For some reason, if not, I would look at other options in Formula 1, of course, because I love Formula 1. I enjoy it, and I still think I have quite a good few years ahead of me. And then [after that], never say never.
“Rally, I really enjoy it; it’s excellent fun. Every time I’ve been in a rally car, I’ve always been smiling, so it’s good fun. But to actually do a job out of it, it could be quite tricky.
“The guys are pretty competitive, they’ve done it all their life. Never say never to anything, but at the moment, full focus in Formula 1.”
