Valtteri Bottas may be excited about ‘what’s next’ for him in Formula 1, but there is no hiding the disappointment about how a ‘worst-case scenario’ left him on the sidelines.
Having had high hopes about what a move to Alfa/Romeo Sauber in 2022 – then under the leadership of Fred Vasseur – could bring him, Bottas was ultimately denied the progress he hoped for by a change at the top, and this season was his first in F1 where he failed to score a point.
Having been overlooked for a seat at Hinwil for 2025 in favour of Gabriel Bortoleto, and no options elsewhere, Bottas is returning to Mercedes as a reserve driver – hoping that he can find his way back into race action for 2026.
The Finn has kept a brave face on the challenges of this season – where highlights have been his extracurricular activities more than on-track performances.
But for someone as competitive as he is, Bottas' struggles have admittedly not been easy to cope with.
Speaking to Motorsport.com, Bottas said: “It's hard, for sure, because I would like to show what I can do and shine and have my moments, but it's difficult at the back. People just won't see and almost people forget what you can achieve.
“So I just think it's for me, it's just a bit unlucky that I've got into this situation, which ended up being the worst-case scenario. It meant I was left without the seat for next year.
“If I could go back three years, I probably would have chosen another team to go into, based on what the situation is now.
“But you just can't predict the future, because in the first year, when I signed up with Fred for three years, there was a clear plan and clear goals.
“The first year was, I think, great overall. But then when Fred left, things kind of collapsed a bit, including the goals and the targets.”
Bottas certainly could not have predicted how things would go south this year, as Sauber dropped to the back of the field and ended up 10th in the constructors’ championship.
It was only Zhou Guanyu’s eighth-place finish in Qatar that prevented the team from ending 2024 without any points on the board at all.
Part of the explanation for the drop in competitiveness is that the squad focused too much on its Audi plans from 2026, so neglected the present.
But Bottas thinks that things have also not been helped by the impact of a rotating door of management with Vasseur, then Andreas Seidl, and most recently Mattia Binotto.
“There has not been enough stability in terms of the leadership,” he said. “We have now our third new leader within three years, and with each of the changes to the top, it has also meant that many key people have changed in the roles.
“There's been people leaving and people coming, so that naturally takes time. I don't think we've just had the solid foundation to build on.
“It's been like we build something, and then it falls down, and then we try again. So I think that's the main thing, just lack of stability overall.”
And Bottas has no doubts that if there is one thing a top team like Mercedes had during his time there, it was stability.
“When I was at Mercedes, that was a big strength,” he said. “Everyone had long, long contracts. There was always stability.
“So you could just really focus on the work, and not spend time trying to find new people or kicking people out. So I think that seems to be the case in many top teams.”
Happy life off track
While things have not been great for Bottas on track, there is a certain irony to the fact that he seems to be happier than ever off it.
His antics are well liked on social media, he has challenged himself in ways that he never thought he could before, and he is revelling in it all.
“I haven't had, unfortunately, that much fun in terms of fighting for results I want on track,” he said. “So on track definitely has been very challenging.
“But I've been trying to compensate that with my off-track life; doing other stuff, because I need the thrill from somewhere.
“I want to meet my targets in something. Let's give an example, the gravel world championships. I wanted to qualify for that, and I wanted to compete. I set it as a goal, and I achieved it, and I finished it in more or less in the midfield, and I was actually really happy about it.
“So I think all these things aside, I've been doing it because I need that feeling of getting into my goals and stuff like that. That's why I'm overall very, very happy.”
One of his more eye-opening off-track activities was when he decided to do an in-villa Ironman – a 2.4-mile swim in a small pool, 112-mile Peloton bike ride and then a 26.2-mile marathon on a treadmill.
Speaking about that feat, Bottas said the idea had come to him the previous night over dinner.
“I was actually having some wine and then I was like: 'Tomorrow is an Ironman, a full one,'” he smiled. “So, yeah, 6am to the pool, and off we go!
“Halfway through it, I was thinking, what am I doing? Why have I done it? But then I thought: ‘Okay, I'm halfway. There's no way of stopping now.’ So I had to complete it.
“I'm glad I did it. It was actually mentally, to go through that, a pretty eye-opening experience. You know, you have really got to dig deep and you learn how much it's just really the mental power. Because in the end, when your body is empty, then you're just going with your willpower. And that's a pretty cool feeling when you complete it.”
It is this internal competitive fire, the need to push himself, and a happiness in everything around him, that ultimately made him determined not to just walk away from F1 after all he has been through this year.
“That's why I also feel like I'm not done with the sport yet, because I feel like I could go forever,” he admitted.
“I've got everything in a great balance, and I don't really feel like I'm getting fatigue because of F1. So that's why I feel like I still have things to give for the sport, whatever role it is.”
