Why Bottas is not letting the “worst-case scenario” end his F1 career

Valtteri Bottas could also be enthusiastic about ‘what’s subsequent’ for him in Formulation 1, however there is no such thing as a hiding the frustration about how a ‘worst-case situation’ left him on the sidelines.

Having had excessive hopes about what a transfer to Alfa/Romeo Sauber in 2022 – then beneath the management of Fred Vasseur – may convey him, Bottas was in the end denied the progress he hoped for by a change on the prime, and this season was his first in F1 the place he failed to attain a degree.

Having been ignored for a seat at Hinwil for 2025 in favour of Gabriel Bortoleto, and no choices elsewhere, Bottas is returning to Mercedes as a reserve driver – hoping that he can discover his approach again into race motion for 2026.

The Finn has stored a courageous face on the challenges of this season – the place highlights have been his extracurricular actions greater than on-track performances.

However for somebody as aggressive as he’s, Bottas’ struggles have admittedly not been simple to deal with.

Talking to Autosport, Bottas stated: “It is onerous, for certain, as a result of I wish to present what I can do and shine and have my moments, however it’s tough on the again. Individuals simply will not see and virtually folks neglect what you may obtain.

“So I simply assume it is for me, it is only a bit unfortunate that I’ve acquired into this case, which ended up being the worst-case situation. It meant I used to be left with out the seat for subsequent 12 months.

“If I may return three years, I in all probability would have chosen one other crew to enter, primarily based on what the state of affairs is now.

“However you simply cannot predict the long run, as a result of within the first 12 months, once I signed up with Fred for 3 years, there was a transparent plan and clear objectives.

“The primary 12 months was, I feel, nice total. However then when Fred left, issues type of collapsed a bit, together with the objectives and the targets.”

Valtteri Bottas, KICK Sauber

Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photographs

Bottas definitely couldn’t have predicted how issues would go south this 12 months, as Sauber dropped to the again of the sector and ended up tenth within the constructors’ championship.

It was solely Zhou Guanyu’s eighth-place end in Qatar that prevented the crew from ending 2024 with none factors on the board in any respect.

A part of the reason for the drop in competitiveness is that the squad targeted an excessive amount of on its Audi plans from 2026, so uncared for the current.

However Bottas thinks that issues have additionally not been helped by the impression of a rotating door of administration with Vasseur, then Andreas Seidl, and most just lately Mattia Binotto.

“There has not been sufficient stability when it comes to the management,” he stated. “We’ve now our third new chief inside three years, and with every of the modifications to the highest, it has additionally meant that many key folks have modified within the roles.

“There’s been folks leaving and other people coming, in order that naturally takes time. I do not assume we have simply had the stable basis to construct on.

“It has been like we construct one thing, after which it falls down, after which we attempt once more. So I feel that is the primary factor, simply lack of stability total.”

And Bottas has no doubts that if there may be one factor a prime crew like Mercedes had throughout his time there, it was stability.

“Once I was at Mercedes, that was an enormous energy,” he stated. “Everybody had lengthy, lengthy contracts. There was at all times stability.

“So you may simply actually deal with the work, and never spend time looking for new folks or kicking folks out. So I feel that appears to be the case in lots of prime groups.”

Blissful life off monitor

Valtteri Bottas, KICK Sauber

Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photographs

Whereas issues haven’t been nice for Bottas on monitor, there’s a sure irony to the truth that he appears to be happier than ever off it.

His antics are nicely appreciated on social media, he has challenged himself in ways in which he by no means thought he may earlier than, and he’s revelling in all of it.

“I have not had, sadly, that a lot enjoyable when it comes to combating for outcomes I need on monitor,” he stated. “So on monitor positively has been very difficult.

“However I have been attempting to compensate that with my off-track life; doing different stuff, as a result of I want the joys from someplace.

“I wish to meet my targets in one thing. Let’s give an instance, the gravel world championships. I wished to qualify for that, and I wished to compete. I set it as a objective, and I achieved it, and I completed it in roughly within the midfield, and I used to be really actually blissful about it.

“So I feel all this stuff apart, I have been doing it as a result of I want that feeling of entering into my objectives and stuff like that. That is why I am total very, very blissful.”

One among his extra eye-opening off-track actions was when he determined to do an in-villa Ironman – a 2.4-mile swim in a small pool, 112-mile Peloton bike journey after which a 26.2-mile marathon on a treadmill.

Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Staff Kick Sauber, cycles the monitor

Picture by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photographs

Talking about that feat, Bottas stated the concept had come to him the earlier evening over dinner.

“I used to be really having some wine after which I used to be like: ‘Tomorrow is an Ironman, a full one,’” he smiled. “So, yeah, 6am to the pool, and off we go!

“Midway by way of it, I used to be pondering, what am I doing? Why have I performed it? However then I believed: ‘Okay, I am midway. There is not any approach of stopping now.’ So I needed to full it.

“I am glad I did it. It was really mentally, to undergo that, a fairly eye-opening expertise. You understand, you could have actually acquired to dig deep and also you learn the way a lot it is simply actually the psychological energy. As a result of ultimately, when your physique is empty, then you definately’re simply going together with your willpower. And that is a fairly cool feeling once you full it.”

It’s this inside aggressive fireplace, the necessity to push himself, and a happiness in every part round him, that in the end made him decided to not simply stroll away from F1 in any case he has been by way of this 12 months.

“That is why I additionally really feel like I am not performed with the game but, as a result of I really feel like I may go eternally,” he admitted.

“I’ve acquired every part in an awesome steadiness, and I do not actually really feel like I am getting fatigue due to F1. In order that’s why I really feel like I nonetheless have issues to provide for the game, no matter position it’s.”