Why Bottas doesn’t get enough recognition for his Mercedes F1 job

I’m fascinated by what it takes to be successful in Formula 1. That’s one of the reasons I keep following the championship so closely. So when I see some of the unfair comments about Valtteri Bottas, it is worth giving a perspective based on my own experience.

I know what it is like to compete against the best driver of a generation – in my case Ayrton Senna – and to have worked with very strong team-mates throughout my career. From Johnny Herbert to Martin Brundle, Mark Blundell to Nigel Mansell and of course David Coulthard.

Neither of them was slow. All of them are very fast, committed and capable Formula 1 drivers.

It’s very easy to talk about a world champion who wins all the time and then criticize your teammate. It’s a simple comparison, but one that avoids the big picture of what it’s like to be half of a team that wins the championship. I won two world championships, also because ‘DC’ was such a strong teammate.

When McLaren put me in their car next to Ayrton Senna, it was a fantastic opportunity but a huge challenge. Suddenly it was my experience versus Ayrton’s experience. And what is “experience”? Is it the number of laps you’ve done, or your ability to study the data, or how smart and intelligent you are about what’s going on on the team?

Actually, it’s all about all of these things along with the dynamics of the team; The little things that don’t seem important on their own but taken together mean that you are not quite where you want to be. During my career I have noticed that every mechanic, engineer or data technician works in a certain way and in the intense environment of Formula 1, even a small change in personnel can have an impact on performance.

Podium: race winner Ayrton Senna, McLaren, third Mika Häkkinen, McLaren

Photo by: Sutton Images

Changing human dynamics can be just as important as changing the car’s setup.

People keep asking me if I overtook Ayrton in my first race at McLaren, although Valtteri doesn’t ask many about the 17 times he overqualified Lewis. For some reason my performance was considered difficult while it is easy when you drive a Mercedes.

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I’ve only competed three races against Ayrton, but it taught me so much. About how much I had to learn, not only to understand how to get the best performance out of my car, but also to understand how the team works, how a team focuses their efforts.

During my career there were times when, for example, my tires didn’t work and my team-mate was suddenly seven tenths faster. Even with softer tires, you can drive the same times as you would on a set of hard tires. It’s a terrible feeling so you start looking at all the temperatures, pressures, and vehicle settings and figuring out what your teammate is doing.

I know what it feels like to adjust your teammate’s settings on his car and then have it very difficult to drive, except that the lap time is half a second faster! That’s all part of the learning curve. It teaches you to be open-minded about the guy on the other side of the garage and become less selfish.

This teamwork between the drivers is such an important aspect for a top team. Mercedes knows better than anyone what can happen when two drivers fight each other in a destructive way. Part of Valtteri’s job since joining them has been working alongside Lewis, pushing as hard as possible but keeping communications going.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 2nd place, in Parc Ferme

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Creating a positive atmosphere in the team and pulling together is an essential quality. It matters when you are the dominant team but becomes critical when you have tough competition or, as will happen in 2022, a whole new set of rules comes in. Regulations that rely on the two drivers working harder than ever to give the team a solid foundation.

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Only one teammate can win the World Championship, and to do that he usually has to win more races than anyone else – that includes beating the guy who shares the garage with him. When the two of you are in the same car, this fight is never easy. As a world champion, you inevitably build the team around you and leave your teammate a lot more work.

When I was racing, I kept complaining, especially to my manager Keke Rosberg. I think it was a generation thing. I’ve always said this or that wasn’t right about the team, and Keke always told me to shut up and put my foot on my feet.

Now we have a completely different era, where the drivers and their teams have infinitely more analysis at their disposal. It also brought great respect for the challenge that drivers face when they win Grand Prix or have to support their teammates.

Timing a qualifying run to support his teammate, as Valtteri did at Silverstone when he towed Lewis, or giving in during a race so that the team’s strategy can be maximized is not easy. Mercedes takes a very fair approach and Valtteri knows it is his job to beat the team’s competition, especially now that Red Bull and Honda have taken a big step forward.

Since moving from Williams to Mercedes, I’ve known that Valtteri never stopped pushing, learning and developing as a driver. He took nine podiums for Williams and helped them finish third in the Constructors’ Championship two years in a row, but he also realized that Mercedes was on a whole different level. A completely different challenge.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12, leaves the garage

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

When I switched from Team Lotus to McLaren, it was a similar experience. I knew I was in the right place, with the right people and technology around me, so it felt like a big release. However, if you join a team where people know how to be successful, there is so much to learn. Valtteri took the same approach.

As Lewis’ teammate, he has the strongest competitor next to him. It was amazing to see how calm, controlled and determined Valtteri remained, how hard he continued to work despite the challenge – and light criticism. He just focuses on attacking as hard as possible every weekend and doing the best for the team.

There’s a common myth that when you have the best car, it’s easy to win grand prix. That just shows a misunderstanding of the challenge.

It’s not easy to win in Formula 1, whether it’s twenty races for me or nine Grand Prix for Valtteri. It gets even more difficult when you have a multiple world champion next to you in the garage.

For every team striving for a world championship, the degree of harmony and concentration within the driver line-up is an important component. This is one of the reasons I am sure Valtteri deserves more credit for his work.

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, and Pole man Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, congratulate each other in Parc Ferme

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images