Valtteri Bottas might have missed out on the Formula 1 World Championship but the Finn enjoyed his best season in the sport. He's admitted a repeat of his 2018 form might have cost him his place.
Bottas secured four race wins in 2019, including two of the first four which put him in control of the Drivers' Championship in the early stages. Despite Lewis Hamilton storming through to claim his sixth World Championship of his career, Bottas rounded off the year with two more wins in Japan and the USA.
His upturn in fortunes came after a desperately tough 2018 as he finished without a race win. After returning with a bear and a new sense of fight Bottas admitted that was needed else his place could have been on the line.
"If I've had a similar season to 2018, I don't [think] the team would have continued with me," Bottas told Autosport.
"That's how Formula 1 works. It's so important for me and also for my general well-being.
"I've had much more fun between the races now, and kind of fell in love with the sport, which I maybe lost a little bit towards the end of last year.
"I'm really enjoying the driving and it's such an important season for me.
"Now I can happily say again I have many, many years of me, and hopefully still with that same development."
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