Bottas knows "final step" to beat Hamilton
Valtteri Bottas reckons the "final step" he needs to beat his Mercedes Formula 1 teammate Lewis Hamilton is improving the consistency of his performances.
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
Bottas finished second to Hamilton in 2019 – the best championship result of his F1 career so far – but although he showed strong form in the early and late parts of the campaign, a dip in the middle part of the season cost him in the title fight.
When asked what he needs to do to finally get ahead of Hamilton in 2020, Bottas, who scored four wins, five poles, 11 other podiums in 2019, said: "It's quite clear in my mind.
"We're definitely [working] with the engineers and with the team on my development programme.
"Things we're really focusing on [is] the race week and for my performance that final step I need is consistency.
"Still more adaptability to different circumstances [as well] but the main thing is minimising mistakes.
"There were some qualifying sessions where I made mistakes and that compromised the Sunday and then there was some races where I made mistakes, for example, Hockenheim, I lost a big chunk of points there so [it's about] trying to get rid of those.
"There's still a lot I feel I can improve. It's fine details here and there, a lot related to driving style and tyre management. But it's a whole lot better than last year.
"Minimising those mistakes, being able to find [the right] mental state that [means] I will be able to perform at my best every single weekend – that's the tricky part. Like in any sport.
"It feels like I have to dig very deep to find anything more from my side – how I can be a better driver, how I can perform better, how I can work better with engineers.
"It definitely keeps me working hard because it's just not easy to beat him. And it requires a lot. That's pushing me on every single day.
"I would really struggle to accept it, that some other driver can do something that I can't.
"I accept it completely that Lewis won the title [in 2019] because overall during the season he was better than me. He beat me fair and square.
"But I believe there's always something that I can do better and I can fix those weaknesses. Maybe I'm a bit more stubborn."
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Red Bull says it can't match "very lucrative" Audi F1 offer to Sainz
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
Sainz: All my best 2025 F1 seat options are "still open"
Bottas: Permanent fix for Sauber F1 pitstop woes "by Imola"
Bottas: Sauber's F1 pitstop issues may not be fixed until after China
The high-stakes design theory that Sauber hopes is key to 2024 F1 progress
Hamilton expects to lose positions if China F1 sprint is dry
2024 F1 Chinese GP sprint qualifying results: Lando Norris takes pole
The F1 breakthroughs Mercedes made in Japan – and what's next
The short-term pain that hides a very real Williams improvement
F1 Chinese GP qualifying - Start time, how to watch, TV channel
WEC Imola: Ye fastest to lead Ferrari 1-2 in practice
F1 Chinese GP Sprint race: Start time, how to watch, TV channel
The short-term pain that hides a very real Williams improvement
How a Shanghai to Sheffield journey paved the way for China’s F1 hero
Why F1 2026 worst-case fears could be key to new rules success
How the F1 driver market situation sits for each team with 2025 openings
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments