Bottas tags greatest win and best car with Mercedes

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Valtteri Bottas has singled out his greatest race with Mercedes during his five-year tenure with the championship winning team as well as the Brackley squad's best car.

The Finn was drafted in by team boss Toto Wolff in early 2017 following reigning world champion Nico Rosberg's shock decision to retire from the sport just days after conquering the title in Abu Dhabi in 2016.

Overall, Bottas delivered ten wins to Mercedes between 2017 and 2021 as well as 67 podiums, contributing 1738 points to the German manufacturer's tally during that productive period that also saw the team add five Constrictors' titles to its track record.

One would perhaps expect Bottas to pick his first win with Mercedes in Russia in 2017 – also his first in F1 – as his most memorable moment.

Read also: Raikkonen singles out best F1 wins and favourite car

But the 32-year-old opted instead for his 2019 win in the opening round of the season in Melbourne which he believes was also his best race ever in F1.

"After the tough end to 2018, 2019 started with a bang," said the future Alfa Romeo driver in a video posed on Mercedes' YouTube channel.

"A big win in Australia, I think it was about 20 seconds ahead of Lewis at the flag. I think it was my best race to date, I would say.

"It wasn’t easy, but it almost felt easy. I was so in control and the whole mindset, from disappointment to coming back up strong, it was a really amazing feeling to experience that.

"It really gave me a lot of confidence to go ahead.

"That season, in the end I finished second in the Drivers’ Championship, we secured the title in Suzuka as a team, I won in Baku – which was revenge from the previous year – and in Japan and in the USA, so pretty sweet places to win races. All of those wins were amazing."

During his stint with Mercedes, Bottas was fortunate to always have a winning car at his disposal, and indeed often a dominant one.

But the Finn says the Brackley outfit's 2020 W11 black arrow hold a special place in his memory, and not only because it powered him that year to wins in Austria and Russia.

"That car, in particular, for me it was a monster," Bottas said. "It was so, so quick. Nothing beats that car in terms of pure performance.

"A beautiful car and a good car to drive."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.