F1 News
Bottas hopes for last chance: "Lewis only needs to finish ahead of Max"
- GPblog.com
Valtteri Bottas is entering his final weekend as a Mercedes driver. The Finn knows that, as so often, he will be helping Lewis Hamilton. Nevertheless, he hopes to achieve his last victory on behalf of the German team in Abu Dhabi.
His job will mainly be to thwart Max Verstappen, something Bottas has no problem with. "Lewis doesn't have to win the race, he just has to finish ahead of Max," the Mercedes driver told the press conference, among others Motorsport-Magazin.com.
Still, he is hoping for one last chance to get a pole position and even a win. His employer may grant him that one, as long as Hamilton is in good enough shape. "I will play for the team, because I am sure of third place in the championship," Bottas continued. "I prefer my teammate to win than the opponent."
Bottas is at peace with himself
"In this sport you are never completely satisfied, but I have definitely achieved something in those five years," the Finn looks back before saying goodbye to Mercedes. "That will help me in the future."
Yet Bottas also initially had higher ambitions. "When I joined the team in 2017, I only had the championship in mind. That didn't come about. But I also see positive things, I have grown a lot as a person," Bottas concludes.