In 2019, before the first Grand Prix of the year, Valtteri Bottas announced the arrival of a 'Bottas 2.0.'
The Finn was then coming out of a very difficult season with Mercedes F1: while Lewis Hamilton had won the championship, he had finished only 5th in the standings in 2018, without any victory.
« I probably had my most difficult year with Mercedes the year before, so I had a lot of frustration inside me, Bottas explained.
« In 2018, I failed to win a single race… I had several podiums and good results, but the victories were never there.
« I really wanted to make sure this didn't happen again. I wanted to, let's say, come back with a big boom, and in the end I felt like that's exactly what happened in 2019, which turned out to be my best year in F1 so far. here. »
« Just before the weekend [en Australie]I was so ready, so full of energy, and I think in part, through the frustration of the previous year, I was able to turn that into energy – I felt that it really reflected on the track. »
“I changed some things in my preparation, I started listening to myself more, whether it was about training, nutrition, everything. I started to be a little more flexible on certain points instead of following a set line. »
“I listened to my body and said to myself: 'Okay, today, if I want to go snowshoeing in the Arctic instead of doing the gym, it's what I’m going to do, and I can go to the gym the next day.”
“I started changing some things, including my travel plans, trying to optimize while minimizing extra flights, extra commitments, etc. Everything fell into place that year and I think I started to give myself a little more [de liberté]and I even changed my attitude a bit towards the sport as a whole, by not taking things too seriously and looking more at the bigger picture. »
And indeed in Australia, for the first Grand Prix of the year 2019, Valtteri Bottas returned full of energy and desire. He did not beat Lewis Hamilton in qualifying, but finished only 1 tenth behind him.
Sunday was even better than Saturday: Valtteri Bottas managed to overtake Lewis Hamilton on the first lap – and his teammate would never catch up.
And Valtteri Bottas then said he felt the best possible feeling for an F1 driver.
« During qualifying, Lewis had the advantage, but not by much, » raconte Bottas. « During the race, I managed to get a better start and take the lead. From turn 1 until the end of the race, I was in the lead… I won by controlling the race and opening up a gap.
« As a pilot, as an athlete, we are always looking for this state of flow where everything seems under control. Everything almost slows down, we have time to react, to think, and the whole race was like that. »
Crossing the finish line with a lead of 20 seconds, Bottas then vented his frustration on the radio with a famous: “ For those concerned, fuck you! »
« It was all the frustration from the previous year coming out, » he remembers with hindsight.
Was this victory in Melbourne a flash in the pan? In any case, the Mercedes F1 driver led the championship to Baku and won two more victories in 2019…
« I think Lewis noticed it was going to be a tighter year, » admits Bottas, ultimately beaten by his teammate quite comfortably that year…
“Australia gave me a lot of confidence. I showed myself what I could really do if I was at the top of my game and ever since then I'm still trying to find that peak. It takes time in this sport to learn, but the key is to try to eliminate any outside pressure, whether it comes from… Whoever it is, from the people, from the media, from the team, you have to eliminate all of this…”
“The only pressure you need is your own, because it's normally positive pressure that you can use as a source of energy. It's easier said than done to be able to control these kinds of feelings, but this sport is a good school, and you learn a lot about yourself. »
The golden age of Mercedes F1
The fact remains that perhaps the most glorious and relaxing years for Toto Wolff at Mercedes F1 were spent with Valtteri Bottas. As he returns to the team as third driver, the Finn does not forget to sell his record.
« Everyone remembers victories and good times, » confie Bottas. « For me, after a few years away from the team, I tend to forget the negative moments or the bad races, and I only keep the strong moments. »
« It was the golden age of Mercedes, let's say! »
