SUMMARY
- Valtteri Bottas was not able to keep up with the pace of Lewis Hamilton.
- As a racing driver, Bottas found it hard to accept the fact that Lewis was much faster.
Mercedes has had their list of good drivers over the years. When they first came into the sport, it was Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg. Then Lewis Hamilton came in to replace Michael and Valtteri Bottas came in to replace Nico Rosberg in 2017.
Ever since Bottas came to Mercedes, he has not been able to keep up with the pace of Lewis Hamilton. It has been clear that Lewis is much quicker than the Finnish driver. After the 2921 season, Bottas left the team and went to Alfa Romeo. In a recent interview, he opened up about his struggles at Mercedes and his inability to keep up with Lewis Hamilton’s pace.
Valtteri Bottas admits to being slower than Lewis Hamilton
Since joining the Alfa Tomeo, Bottas has been a consistent driver for the team. He has put in some decent performances, but nothing that stands out. After the 2023 season, he opened up about the difficulties he faced while driving for Mercedes and alongside Lewis Hamilton.
“It was only when I knew I was leaving the team that I realized that I was able to cope with certain things a little better. I was able to accept some of these things,” says Bottas. “Certainly you go through things like that in your career.”
“In the team with Lewis, it was only last year that I was able to accept that I was really struggling to beat him with the same car over a whole season and that he is probably better in certain areas. As a racing driver, it’s hard to accept that to admit,” admits the 34-year-old.
Valtteri Bottas reckons he was “in denial” for five years at Mercedes as he measured himself against #F1 team-mate Lewis Hamilton. ⬇️https://t.co/863mjY97Oq
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) December 26, 2023
In the 5 years Bottas drove for Mercedes, he was not able to challenge Lewis Hamilton in even one of them. This put a lot of pressure on the German team to replace the Finnish driver with George Russell.
At the time, Russell proved to be a promising driver with Willaims. Since he was a part of the Mercedes junior program the team had planned for him to join the team in the future. So when Bottas’ underperformance came into the limelight in 2021, the team was pressured to make changes in their lineup.
When will Valtteri Bottas retire from F1?
Valtteri Bottas is currently 34 years old. Although there are drivers older than him in the sport, it is unlikely that we will see the Finn drive in F1 during his 40s. His current contract keeps him in Sauber until the 2025 season. So when Sauber gets taken over by Audi Motorsport, Bottas will most likely be without an F1 seat. However, the Finn has shown interest in driving for Audi in 2026.
After the 2025 season, Valltteri will be 36 years old and it is very much possible that he will retire after this. Although Bottas is experienced, he has not had a lot of accomplishments in his career. He could be a liability to Audi if he is not able to deliver some impressive performances.
🚨 | Valtteri Bottas wants to be part of Audi’s 2026 F1 project.
He aims for a multi-year deal next season.https://t.co/6xu4pqZQh6
— formularacers (@formularacers_) December 27, 2023
Valtteri has a net worth of around $25 million. He will have more than enough money for his retirement if he wishes to do so after the 2025 season. Bottas already spends his time traveling the world with his girlfriend who is a professional bicyclist.
Since Bottas is no extraordinary driver, none of the teams will want him on the team at an old age. Unlike Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, Bottas has not had any extraordinary season which has put him at an elite level. So it will be a good idea for the Finn to call it a career after the 2025 season.