Valtteri Bottas reveals the ‘turning point’ which stopped him from retiring after being ‘fed up’ with F1

Valtteri Bottas joined Mercedes in 2017 to replace Nico Rosberg and partner with Lewis Hamilton. However, this situation had a drawback because Hamilton won most of the races, which made Bottas’s 2018 season challenging. He missed out on victories in China, Azerbaijan, and Germany due to poor strategy and tire punctures, resulting in a fifth-place finish in the drivers’ standings. The 34-year-old considered retiring from the sport during this tough period, but he recently revealed why he decided not to.

Valtteri Bottas recently shared the story of his tough times in F1. He explained learning many valuable lessons from his struggling time in the sport. He went through a lot of challenges and struggles which made him think of quitting his career in F1. The Finn was totally frustrated and disheartened with Formula 1, thinking the sport was being unfair to him.

There have been many lessons in this sport, I've gone through so much and almost nearly quit my career. I was fed up with the F1 world and thought it was cruel to me.

Valtteri Bottas said on Pitlane Life Lessons Podcast

It was the end of 2018 where Bottas was down and almost gave all hopes to continue racing in Formula 1. However, he found a way to motivate himself and that turned out in his favor. He started the 2019 season winning the first race with Mercedes. The 34-year-old mentioned, this victory marked a crucial turning point in his career, which helped him to turn things upside down and regain his confidence. Thus, he acknowledged the potential he holds to win races even in downfall and decided to continue racing.

It was the end of 2018, but I somehow managed to pick myself up and win the first race of 2019. That was the turning point for me.

Valtteri Bottas added.

Valtteri Bottas explains the importance of staying within the F1 bubble

Valtteri Bottas explained that despite the challenges he faced earlier, he has a lot to be grateful for today. He has a healthy family, and a will to continue to drive race cars which he loves, and has a comfortable home. Bottas mentioned that when he took a step back and considered his entire situation, he realized there was much to appreciate and felt he should complain less. Therefore, the Finn driver stated, staying focused on his life within the Formula 1 world has been very important for him.

I have a family, they are healthy, I am still driving a race car which I love and have a roof over my head, so in the end, when you a step back and look at the whole picture, that is when you can put things into perspective, and start to complain less. Staying within the F1 bubble, for me, has been really important.

Valtteri Bottas stated.

Certainly, Valtteri Bottas expressed his happiness for still driving in F1 which he loves the most. He acknowledged that he should not complain about his struggles but endure them because they are insignificant compared to what he has now. Fans hope the former Mercedes driver does well in his career and gets a seat for the upcoming season.

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