Valtteri Bottas has experienced the intense highs and lows of Formula 1, but the Finn recently reflected on what he considers the pinnacle of his racing career: his dominant victory at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix.
This triumph not only marked a career highlight for Bottas but also served as a powerful response to a challenging and frustrating 2018 season with Mercedes that left him searching for redemption.
Signed by Mercedes in early 2017 to replace the retiring Nico Rosberg, F1’s reigning world champion, Bottas enjoyed promising first season as Lewis Hamilton's teammate, securing three victories.
But the following year was a different story, marked by a winless campaign, one that left Bottas in a mindset of doubts and under immense pressure to perform heading into 2019.
“I had probably my most difficult year with Mercedes the year before, so I actually had quite a bit of frustration,” Bottas told Formula1.com.
“In 2018, I wasn’t able to win a single race. I did have multiple podiums and some good results, but the wins never happened.
“I really wanted to make sure that it wasn’t going to happen again.
“I wanted to, let’s say, come back with a big boom, and in the end I felt like that’s exactly what happened in 2019, which happened to be my best year so far in F1.”
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The season opening race in Melbourne offered the perfect stage for a turnaround.
Qualifying was close, Hamilton edging out Bottas for pole by a hair. But the race itself unfolded like a dream for the Finn.
When the lights went out, he launched off the line, overtaking Hamilton and taking control of the race from the first corner.
What followed was a masterclass in racing as Bottas led from start to finish, eventually crossing the line a commanding 20.886 seconds ahead of his teammate.
“The beginning of the weekend was all quite normal,” Bottas remembered. “In qualifying, Lewis did happen to have an upper hand, but not by a big margin.
“In the race itself, I managed to get a better start and get into the lead. From Turn 1 until the end of the race I was in the lead. I won by being able to control it and in the end pulled a big gap.”
The significance of the win was not lost on Bottas, who, in an uncharacteristic display of emotion, sent his now famous defiant message over the team radio as he crossed the finish line: "To whom it may concern, f**k you…"
The race, according to the ten-time Grand Prix winner, was one of those rare moments when everything clicked, and he entered what athletes often refer to as a "flow state."
“As a driver, as an athlete, you’re always searching for this flow state, [where] you feel like you’re in full control,” he explained.
“Everything almost slows down, it almost feels like everything is easy, you have time to react, you have time to think, and the whole race was like that.
“I would say sometimes you might get that perfect feeling in qualifying, sometimes in the whole race, but yeah, unfortunately, I would say it’s probably less than 20% of your qualifyings or races that you get to your absolute peak in terms of your mental performance.
“It was an amazing feeling and I still get goosebumps. I just really felt like that was my highlight so far, in terms of my own performance.”
Bottas secured three more victories that year, finishing a strong second in the championship.
However, five years on, the 34-year-old finds himself far from those jubilant days, lingering in a struggling team, one yet to score a point this season.
Yet, the memory of Melbourne remains, a testament to the heights Bottas can reach, a reminder of the driver he can be.
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