He may no longer be fighting at the front of the F1 grid for 🌸wins and world titles, but Valtteri Bottas is in the happie๊st place he has been in for a long time. 

Having claimed 10 grand prix wins, 20 pole positions and 58 podiums during a five-year stint at168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Mercedes, Bottas made the switch to Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season aft�꧂�er losing his seat to George Russell. 

Following a mentally and physically draining spell as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate, Bottas is re-energised and thriving in the less-pressured environment now🅷 that he is out of Hamilton’s shadow. 

Speaking in an exclusive interview with mahbx.com at the Belgian Grand Prix, the Finn opened up about his Mercedes struggles and explained why he is loving life a🃏t Alfa Romeo. 

“I’m enjoying it a lot,” Bottas said. “It’s no lie, of course I do miss going into a weekend knowing th𝐆ere is a big chance of winning the race. 

“Now, realistically, it’s a bit of a long shot💛. It’s a different mi♊ndset. 

“For me, this is a project that I jumped into and the rewar♛ding feeling and satisfactiꦑon comes from different things. Seeing and feeling the progress. 

“For example, fifth place in Imola for us as a team was almost like the feeling of a win. So it’s different, but Iꦦ am really enjoying it a lot, this different mindset.”

Such was the pressure and weight of expectation that comes wiꦬth being the teammate of one of the greatest racing drivers in history, Bottas almost walked away from F1 at the end of the 2018 season after falling into what he described as being a “dark place”. 

Bottas had struggled to match the performances of Hamilton throughout his first two seasons at Mercedes and found himself being cast into the role of supporting his teammate’s title༒ bids against Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. 

Instead of quitting, Bottas regrouped and returned stronger in 201✃9. He led the championship after taking two wins from the first four races, but it was Hamilton who once again came out on top at the end of the season over the next two years. 

Following a difficult 2021, in which Bottas again acted as a dutiful wingman for Hamilton, the Finn wa𝄹s replaced by Russell with Mercedes seeking a driver capable of leadi🔯ng the team when Hamilton retires. 

A move into F1’s midfield would mean giving up the chance to battle it out at the front o💯f the grid, but as it turned out, a reset was just what Bottas needed. ✱;

“I think it was needed for me,” he explained. “I definitꦏely needed 🙈something new, a new environment, new targets, new people around me. 

“When I started F1, of course everything was super exciting and you feel like you want to do this forever. Then for sure, in terms of the love for the👍 sport, at some po💝int, I had a bit of a dip. 

“But now I feel like it’s definitely back. If you asked me today, how long would I waꦛnt to drive? I’d say forever. I’m really, really enjoying it.” 

Bottas ꦦwas one of the most criticised drivers on the grid during his time at Mercedes for his failure to provide Hamilton with a stern enough title challenge, 🉐but he did not lack ability. 

Bottas was regularly able to give Hamilton a run for his money, ﷽particularly in qualifying - no mean feat against statistically the greatest Fꦿ1 qualifier of all time. He scored the same amount of poles as Hamilton in 2019 (five), yet, too often on Sundays, Hamilton was able to find another level Bottas simply couldn’t match. 

Asked if he now finds himself caring less what others think, Bottas said: “I th𒀰i𓄧nk that’s fair to say, yes. 

“I really don’t care nowadays what people think of me and I just want to try and makꦅe the most out of my life and have fun.”

Bottas has loosened up and is having more fun since leaving the more corporate w🎐orld of Mercedes. That was evident with the cheeky photo of his , or in the bucket hats he now regularly wears in the paddock. 

“I feel like I’m less in the mould of a typical 🀅F1 driver,” he said. "I also feel🍒 like my work-life balance is in a pretty good balance. 

“So I can just be who I am and haไve a bit of fun as well.”

While Bottas is able to enjoy himself more, there is stౠill a fine balance to tread and he is determined not to le👍t his performances slip due to being more relaxed. 

There can be little accusation of that being the case given that Bottas’ impressive form at the start of the season was key to Alfa Romeo’꧋s current championship position. The Swiss outfit sits sixth in the constructors’ standings, with Bottas responsible for picking up 46 of Alfa Romeo’s 52-point h🤡aul. 

Results may have tailed off lately but Bottas’ early work means it is high🌃ly unlikely that Alfa Romeo will be overhauled in the final six races of the season. 

“It is essentially a sport and you need to be in the right headspace and have the right attiཧtude to be fast in the car,” he said. “So far I have felt good in the car this year. 

“Of course there’s always things that I could do better and I do take the driving seriously and I really want to maximise to score good points for 🎐the team. 

“But for me, it has worked well to have a bit of freedom in a 𒐪way. But when I work, I work hard.”

Bottas, a self-proclaimed coffee aficionado who in his native Finland, keeps fuelled on caffeine. His day r🤪arely starts without a flat white and his espresso 🍬machine joins him for the European leg of the season. 

Coffee-obsessed he may be, even Botꦍtas admits over 10 shots a day is “too much”. 

“In the European races, I stay in the motorhome and I have the proper espresso machine,” he said. “So a flat white is nor꧋mally the first drink in the morning ꦰand after that it’s usually espresso.” 

Back to on-track matters and Bottas is relishing the opportunity to properly embed himself in Alfa Romeo’s long-term project, which may well include a 168澳洲幸运5官⭕方开奖结果历史:collaboration with German car giant Aud𝐆i in the not-too-distant future. 

Bottas signed a multi-year deal when he joined Alfa Romeo, having previously been on rolling one-year-contracts at Williams and Mercedes. For the first time in his career, Bottas ca๊n enjoy the luxury of having job security. 

After some dark days, Bottas is refreshed and has rediscovered his love for F1.&ไnbsp;

“It’s a new role for me and it almost feels like being more than just the driver of the car, but real🌠ly digging into the details with the team,” he explained. 

“Also now, starting with the c🌌onsistent updates of the new car for next year, that’s really interesting to be involved and have my opinion. I’m enjoying it, it’s a new thing for me, I’ve never had it before as such. 

“Also, for the first time, my teamm꧟ate is younger than✅ me and I’m the more experienced driver, but that comes quite naturally to me.

“When I put the effort in, I know that it’s going to benefit us and me in the years to come, not j♔ust in the next few months,” he continued. 

“Itไ’s nice t𝓰o be able to work for the long-term, instead of the short-term and instead of just trying to prove myself every race, I can just focus on the job and the work with the team. 

“For example, during the holidays, for many years I had the August break wondering, ‘do I𒁏 have a seat next year or not?’ And I could just really disconnect from it really well and have that security.”