Why Bottas nonetheless believes he can beat Lewis Hamilton to the F1 world title
After every race Valtteri Bottas makes a degree of wanting himself within the mirror. It is not a metaphor for the soul-searching most drivers do as they fly dwelling on a personal jet — he really does it. Staring again at himself, he goes by means of the weekend’s occasions — good or unhealthy — and when he is completed analysing, he provides himself a brutally trustworthy evaluation.
“Generally I say, ‘You are a f—ing c—! You might be silly!’ and typically I say, ‘You’re the greatest’,” he instructed ESPN in a sometimes straight-talking interview. “I identical to being trustworthy with myself.
“You’ll be able to at all times enhance and there are at all times excuses of every kind on this sport, however accepting your weaknesses and strengths is what works for me.”
In his current conferences with the person within the mirror, his language may be getting more and more coarse. The realities of being Lewis Hamilton’s teammate have began to hit dwelling because the five-time world champion within the different Mercedes has opened up a 39-point lead within the standings with 5 wins from the final six races. Bottas, in the meantime, hasn’t gained a race for the reason that Azerbaijan Grand Prix in April.
In opposition to some other driver, that factors deficit may appear recoverable. Greater championship leads have been overturned previously and a few reliability points on Hamilton’s automotive would change the image utterly. But to virtually all people within the paddock, the deficit appears unconquerable.
However to not Bottas.
‘By no means hand over’
Valtteri Bottas has the motto “by no means hand over” stitched into the height of his hat. Charles Coates/Getty Photographs
Stitched into the height of Bottas’ blue Mercedes cap is an easy message: “By no means hand over”. It is a philosophy that goes to the core of what the Finnish driver is all about and is the results of a backstory that began within the small city of Nastola, Finland almost 20 years in the past.
“Throughout my childhood my household risked quite a bit financially,” he explains. “They put each single penny they may into my racing and in addition their free time was utterly compromised.
“There have been many issues in my childhood I sacrificed: I began travelling fairly younger, compromising college when it comes to studying and time with mates doing regular stuff as a child you wish to do. However clearly I would not change a day.
“Once I was 12 there was a giant shift in mindset and I realised that if I wish to get one thing out of it then I have to work arduous and focus all my power only for this sport and that is once I began coaching and taking issues extra significantly. I turned much more self-critical and analysed the driving increasingly more, and that was once I was 12.”
Now approaching his 30th birthday, Bottas must be extra self-critical than ever. Solely two teammates have crushed Hamilton over the course of a full season — Jenson Button in 2011 and Nico Rosberg in 2016 — and there have been clear causes for each.
In 2011, the dominance of Sebastian Vettel’s Crimson Bull meant there was no championship at stake between Hamilton and Button, lessening among the aggressive edge. What’s extra, Hamilton was breaking apart along with his longtime girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger and the turmoil in his personal life appeared to overflow into his skilled life. The Hamilton of 2019 is a way more balanced man and he reveals not one of the fragility of the McLaren-era Hamilton.
The 2016 season is doubtlessly a extra helpful instance for Bottas to be taught from, as a title was on the road and it was throughout Hamilton’s Mercedes profession. Rosberg’s championship problem was constructed on a basis of reliability points for Hamilton early within the 12 months however, to present Rosberg his credit score, he performed the chances within the second half of the season and sealed the deal.
But the temper contained in the Mercedes crew in 2016 was very completely different to the calm of the present squad. Rosberg used that divisive undercurrent to his benefit, however by the top of the season he was utterly spent and retired from the game. That heralded Bottas’ arrival at Mercedes and with it the crew turned a stronger, extra cohesive unit, and he has made clear he has no want to upset that.
Above all else, it isn’t in Bottas’ nature to make use of the psychological warfare Rosberg doled out so successfully. Put merely, he would not be capable to face the person within the mirror.
“I’ve discovered for me, and it needs to be the identical for everyone, that it’s best simply to be how you’re,” he provides. “Be the true you and there’s no have to act in a different way. It has at all times been like that.”
Lewis Hamilton took a morale-sapping British Grand Prix victory over Valtteri Bottas on the final spherical. Bryn Lennon/Getty Photographs
In consequence, Bottas has dedicated himself to beating Hamilton in a straight battle. Everybody can have an opinion on whether or not that is potential, however the Bottas we’ve seen this 12 months is undoubtedly the very best of his profession. That enchancment was fuelled by a disappointing 2018 season during which he not solely completed fifth within the drivers’ standings, however was additionally roped into being a transparent assist driver to Hamilton within the second half of the season.
“I analysed final 12 months quite a bit,” he says. “I feel the primary factor was that I began fairly sturdy, however there have been a number of, a number of defeats in a row for various causes. From China or Baku onwards there was a large interval of at all times feeling damaging after Sunday and that, for positive, drags you down.
“After which on prime of that, within the factors you’re far down and it’s essential change into, in at the least some sort of method, a assist driver moderately than going for the championship. And that is tough to simply accept with the objectives you set for the season.
“That unfold fairly a little bit of damaging power and you find yourself not having fun with the driving half as a lot as it’s best to. For me, the extra I benefit from the driving and am pleased within the automotive, you see instantly the outcome. I used to be method, far off from having fun with driving on the finish of final 12 months. I feel that was a giant factor.”
The 2018 season additionally led to a realisation that alternatives to line up on the grid within the quickest automotive are restricted in any driver’s profession. Bottas went into 2019 vowing to be extra egocentric along with his day off observe whereas pushing the boundaries on observe.
“It was a little bit of a wake-up name final 12 months. I realised that, in the long run, I’ve only one profession, so I had higher go ahead. I’m often constant and threat free as a driver, I have not had many crashes with different drivers in races, so there was a little bit of margin for me to be a bit extra shortsighted with issues.”
He added: “In my downtime I now do the issues that I wish to do. It is necessary to observe the coaching programme and have a core plan of what to do in coaching to remain match, however that has been adjusted fairly a bit so if I really feel like I wish to go for a motorbike journey as an alternative of going to the fitness center then I do this and go to the fitness center another day.
“And if I wish to have a time off, go on the boat and get smashed then I do it. I do not hesitate in any respect. It’s extra versatile and relaxed, to maintain that constructive feeling the entire time and revel in life.”
Learn how to beat Hamilton
Valtteri Bottas led Lewis Hamilton initially of the British Grand Prix however misplaced the lead because of the timing of a Security Automotive. Peter J Fox/Getty Photographs
However whereas Bottas has improved this 12 months, it hasn’t been fairly sufficient. In qualifying he has closed the hole to Hamilton and crushed him on 4 events, however the common hole between the 2 over the primary ten races continues to be zero.076s in Hamilton’s favour. In opposition to a teammate pretty much as good as Hamilton, such small margins can shortly change into large factors deficits and in races the hole between the 2 has been even larger.
However for Bottas there isn’t a thriller to Hamilton’s tempo. He sees his teammate’s telemetry, sits in the identical engineering conferences and is aware of the place the variations are.
“His strengths typically have been in sluggish pace corners, usually underneath braking and the entry part and he can typically drive a little bit of a unique setup for the automotive that’s simpler for the rear tyres,” he explains. “These are the primary issues however he’s additionally tremendous constant. I feel his degree of focus when it comes right down to qualifying is on an excellent degree, so he hardly ever makes errors when he must carry out and he delivers when he must.
“So for me it is nonetheless about discovering the consistency on that and be on prime of my recreation each single time. And race tempo — his race tempo and tyre administration is nice. If there are variations within the race tempo it’s usually as a result of the tyre is overheating on my facet.”
Even when he might, there can be no level in wanting on the knowledge and easily copying what Hamilton does within the automotive. Bottas must be higher than his teammate — not equal to him — and to do this he should play to his personal strengths.
“You’ll be able to positively see [the differences in the data], however it isn’t at all times that straightforward to do it within the automotive. Many issues that you simply be taught as a child are welded into your driving fashion and typically altering these might be tough, so it’s at all times balancing out making an attempt to make use of all the massive quantities of information we get and drive with your individual intuition.”
One component that has helped Bottas’ develop his driving this 12 months is the addition of Riccardo Musconi as his race engineer. Musconi was beforehand Hamilton’s efficiency engineer however was promoted to his new function over the winter when Bottas’ former engineer, Tony Ross, moved to go up the engineering arm of Mercedes’ Formulation E crew. Whereas Ross is a really succesful race engineer and was behind Rosberg’s championship success in 2016, having a key member of the engineering crew from Hamilton’s facet of the storage has opened up new areas of enchancment for Bottas.
“Change can at all times be superb,” he explains. “I managed to tackle board all the pieces I discovered with Tony within the years earlier than however have had fairly a unique view when it comes to setup and setup philosophy [with Musconi]. So combining these was a pleasant factor and I’d say particularly on the first 4 or 5 races this 12 months, setup clever, I used to be actually happy with it from the get go.
“I feel a few races lately we’ve been a tiny bit misplaced and needed to make some large changes earlier than qualifying and came upon within the race that it was possibly not the very best setup, however that is life.
“For positive, I obtained some good issues from the opposite facet of the storage and what they used to do with Lewis. However really there have been many races to start with of the 12 months when Lewis really adopted the best way I used to be going with the setup and copied my setup earlier than qualifying.”
So, the massive query, how does Bottas tip the stability within the second half of the 12 months and shut the hole? There is no such thing as a easy reply, however he believes he nonetheless has one key power over his teammate.
“I feel I am hungrier for the wins,” he mentioned. “I feel that is a giant power.
“I nonetheless have not achieved something in comparison with my private objectives in F1, so I’m positively working more durable than ever earlier than.”
By the top of the 12 months, the person within the mirror will be capable to inform him whether or not that was sufficient.