Valtteri Bottas(2)
Williams (2013–2016)
2013: Debut season
Bottas ended his debut season 17th in the World Drivers' Championship, scoring four of Williams's five points.[23] He qualified ahead of Maldonado at twelve of the nineteen races and was praised for his performances at the Canadian and United States Grands Prix.
2014: First podiums
Dhabi Grand Prix, Williams's first double-podium since the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix.[41][42]
The 2014 season ended with Bottas fourth in the World Drivers' Championship, ahead of world champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.[43] He claimed six podium finishes and scored 186 points to Massa's 134, securing Williams third place in the World Constructors' Championship (the team's best result since 2003), and qualified ahead of Massa at thirteen of the nineteen races.[44] Sky Sports wrote that his performances had "impress[ed] greatly"[45] and he was described by Motorsport.com as being "often the quickest non-Mercedes driver"
2015
In September 2014, it was announced that Bottas and Massa would retain their drives with Williams for the 2015 season.[47] Bottas qualified sixth at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but suffered a back injury and was taken to The Alfred Hospital for precautionary checks.[48] Scans found that he had "suffered a very small tear in the annular part of a disc in his lower back" and was deemed unfit to race.[49] He returned to racing at the Malaysian Grand Prix where he started ninth and recovered from a poor start to finish fifth.[50] He scored points at the following three races including fourth-place finishes at the Bahrain and Spanish Grands Prix, but failed to score at the Monaco Grand Prix after qualifying 17th. His first of two podiums in 2015 came at the Canadian Grand Prix, where he qualified fourth and benefited from a spin for Kimi Räikkönen to finish third.[51] He qualified fourth behind Massa at the British Grand Prix and the two drivers progressed to first and second place in the opening laps. Bottas later commented that he "would have been able to pull a gap" had Massa conceded his position, but the two ultimately dropped back to fourth and fifth by the end.[52] Despite this, the result promoted Bottas to fourth place in the World Drivers' Championship.
Bottas ended his third year in Formula One fifth in the World Drivers' Championship,[62] scoring 136 points to Massa's 121 and helping Williams retain third place in the World Constructors' Championship. An Autosport poll of the Formula One team principals ranked him the seventh-best driver of the year.
2016
Bottas and Massa remained teammates at Williams for the 2016 season. A gearbox penalty required him to start the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from 16th place, but he recovered to score points in the race. He was judged to have caused a lap-one collision with Lewis Hamilton at the Bahrain Grand Prix and received a drive-through penalty; he started sixth and finished ninth. He scored more points at the following three races and achieved his best qualifying performance of the season at the Russian Grand Prix, starting third and finishing fourth. This made Bottas and Massa the only two drivers to score points in each of the first five races of the season.[64] This streak ended at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Bottas started and finished 11th but was demoted to 12th for causing a collision with Esteban Gutiérrez.[65] He claimed the team's only podium finish of 2016 at the Canadian Grand Prix; he qualified seventh but executed a one-stop strategy and climbed to third at the finish.
Bottas achieved an unofficial Formula One record speed of 378 km/h (235 mph) at the Baku City Circuit during qualifying for the European Grand Prix.[68] He started sixth at the British Grand Prix but a spin dropped him outside the points. He scored points at the following four races, including sixth place at the Italian Grand Prix, but retired from the Singapore Grand Prix after picking up a puncture and encountering issues with his seatbelt and gearbox.[69] This was followed by a drive from 11th on the grid to fifth place at the Malaysian Grand Prix. A first lap puncture caused him to fall outside the points after qualifying eighth at the United States Grand Prix, and his season ended with a suspension-related retirement at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Bottas finished the season eighth in the World Drivers' Championship, scoring 85 points to Massa's 53 and qualifying ahead of his teammate at seventeen of the twenty-one races.[70] Williams finished fifth in the World Constructors' Championship, down from third in the previous two years.
Mercedes (2017–2021)
2017: Maiden race win
edit
Bottas was set to remain at Williams for a fifth year, with the team announcing a 2017 lineup of Bottas and Lance Stroll in November 2016.[71] Following reigning champion Nico Rosberg's shock retirement from the sport, Mercedes announced in January 2017 that they had signed Bottas to partner Lewis Hamilton at the team.[72] Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams commented that she did not want to "stand in the way" of Bottas driving for a championship-contending team.[73]
Bottas qualified and finished third in his first race as a Mercedes driver, the Australian Grand Prix, behind Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.[74] At the Chinese Grand Prix, he spun behind the safety car and fell from fifth to 12th but recovered to sixth place by the finish.[75] He qualified fastest ahead of Hamilton at the Bahrain Grand Prix, marking his first career pole position.[76] Tyre pressure issues during the race contributed to him falling behind Vettel and Hamilton to finish third.[77] He qualified third behind the two Ferraris of Vettel and Räikkönen at the Russian Grand Prix, but overtook both on the opening lap and went on to claim his first Grand Prix victory, making him the fifth Finnish driver to do so.[78] He was able to continue after a first-lap collision with Räikkönen and Max Verstappen at the Spanish Grand Prix, but later retired from third place with an engine failure.[79] He benefited from damage to Vettel's car to finish second behind Hamilton at the Canadian Grand Prix[80] and followed this with a recovery drive at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix; a first-lap collision with Räikkönen had put him a lap behind but the red-flag period and multiple safety cars allowed him to catch up and pass Lance Stroll for second place metres before the finish line.
He took pole and victory at the Austrian Grand Prix after holding off Vettel towards the end of the race, placing him only 15 points behind Hamilton in the championship.[82] Having started the British Grand Prix ninth following a grid penalty for a new gearbox, he made his way into third place and was promoted to second behind Hamilton after a late-race tyre failure for Räikkönen's Ferrari.[83] He gave up third place at the Hungarian Grand Prix to allow Hamilton to attack the Ferraris ahead, but an ultimately-unsuccessful Hamilton later returned the position to Bottas on the final lap.[84] After the summer break, Bottas started third but finished fifth at the Belgian Grand Prix as he was overtaken by both Daniel Ricciardo and Räikkönen.[85] He started fourth at the Italian Grand Prix, qualifying more than two seconds slower than pole-sitter Hamilton. He recovered to finish second.[86]
He qualified sixth at the Singapore Grand Prix and gained from strategy and the four-car collision on the first lap to finish third.[87] He finished off the podium for the next three races while Hamilton claimed two wins and a second place, but his performances helped Mercedes clinch their fourth consecutive Constructors' Championship at the United States Grand Prix.[88] He returned to the podium at the Mexican Grand Prix, starting fourth but benefiting from contact between Vettel and Hamilton to finish second. His third pole position at the season came at the Brazilian Grand Prix, but he again finished second after losing the lead to Vettel at the first corner.[89] He claimed pole position again at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and went on to achieve his third Grand Prix victory.
Bottas finished third overall in the World Drivers' Championship with 305 points, compared to 363 for teammate and champion Hamilton,[91] and qualified ahead of Hamilton at six of the nineteen races.[92] He was praised for his performances early in the season, but Martin Brundle commented that he "went on the missing list after August"[93] and Bottas described his own season as "disappointing"
In September 2017, Mercedes announced that Bottas would remain with the team for the 2018 season.[95] He started 15th at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after crashing in qualifying and taking a gearbox penalty,[96] but recovered to score points in eighth place.[97] He qualified third, ahead of Hamilton, at the Bahrain Grand Prix. He overtook Räikkönen at the start and finished less than a second behind race winner Vettel.[98] He again qualified third ahead of Hamilton at the Chinese Grand Prix and overtook both Ferraris to lead the race, but was ultimately passed by Daniel Ricciardo, who used a safety car period to pit for fresh tyres.[99] He was leading the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with two laps remaining but ran over a piece of debris, causing a puncture and forcing him into retirement.[100] Further podiums came with second-place finishes at the Spanish and Canadian Grands Prix.
Bottas qualified second at the French Grand Prix but was hit by Vettel at the start, requiring him to pit for repairs and resulting in a seventh-place finish. Vettel accepted responsibility for the collision,[101] and Bottas remarked that the race "sums up my season so far"[102] He took his first pole position of the year at the Austrian Grand Prix but lost the lead to Hamilton on the first lap and then retired with a gearbox failure. He challenged Hamilton for the lead at the German Grand Prix but was ordered by Mercedes to "hold position" and finish second.[103] He was running in second place in the closing laps of the Hungarian Grand Prix, but dropped to fifth after making contact with Vettel and Ricciardo in separate incidents. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff praised Bottas's defence against the Ferraris and described him as a "sensational wingman".[104] Bottas commented that the description was hurtful and that he would discuss the situation with team management.[105] He started 17th at the Belgian Grand Prix due to a power unit components penalty but recovered to fourth place in the race.
Bottas was promoted to the podium at the Italian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen received a penalty for colliding with him.[106] He claimed pole position at the Russian Grand Prix but was ordered by Mercedes to concede his position to Hamilton during the race. Hamilton later indicated that he was unhappy with the order, but Wolff remarked that maximising Hamilton's championship points was the "harsh reality", with Bottas commenting "Lewis is fighting for the drivers’ championship and I'm not".[107][108] The Japanese Grand Prix was his eighth and final podium finish of the year, and he finished fifth at each of the remaining four races.
Bottas became the first Mercedes driver to finish a season without a win since Michael Schumacher in 2012, and set a record for the most second-place finishes (seven) in a season without a win.[109] He finished fifth overall in the World Drivers' Championship with 247 points, whilst teammate Hamilton won his fifth world title with 408 points.[110] He described 2018 as his worst season in Formula One,[111] and later revealed that he almost retired from the sport at the end of the season, stating "I lost the joy of F1"
In July 2018, Bottas signed a contract extension with Mercedes for the 2019 season with an option for 2020, continuing alongside Hamilton.[113] He qualified second behind Hamilton at the Australian Grand Prix but overtook Hamilton at the first corner. Bottas went on to win the race by over 20 seconds ahead of Hamilton, his fourth Grand Prix victory.[114] After crossing the finish line, he exclaimed over the radio "to whom it may concern, fuck you", which he later explained was aimed at both himself and the critics of his 2018 performance.[112] He finished second behind Hamilton at the Bahrain Grand Prix after race leader Charles Leclerc slowed with engine issues and dropped behind the Mercedes drivers.[115] He took pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix but lost the position to Hamilton at the start, who led the entire race distance to win.[116] Bottas followed this with a victory from pole at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, promoting him to the lead of the championship by one point over Hamilton.
Azerbaijan would be the final time that Bottas led the championship as Hamilton would win the next four races. Bottas took his third consecutive pole at the Spanish Grand Prix but was overtaken by Hamilton at the first corner and finished second, achieving Mercedes' fifth one-two finish in a row.[118] He qualified second at the Monaco Grand Prix but finished third behind Sebastian Vettel after making contact with Max Verstappen in the pit lane.[119] He qualified sixth and finished off the podium at the Canadian Grand Prix and placed second behind Hamilton at the French Grand Prix. He finished third at the Austrian Grand Prix, ahead of Hamilton for the first time since Azerbaijan, but failed to convert pole position into victory at the British Grand Prix after Hamilton took advantage of a safety car to jump ahead of Bottas in the pit stop phase.[120][121] He crashed out from fourth place in the closing laps of the German Grand Prix,[122] and front-wing damage from contact with Leclerc resulted in an eighth-place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix whilst Hamilton claimed victory, leaving Bottas 62 points behind in the championship ahead of the summer break.[123]
Further podiums came at the Belgian, Italian (where he finished less than a second behind winner Leclerc) and Russian Grands Prix before he claimed his sixth Formula One victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, having started the race behind both Ferraris. This result helped Mercedes clinch their sixth consecutive World Constructors' Championship.[124] He crashed heavily in qualifying at the Mexican Grand Prix and started sixth, but recovered to third place in the race.[125][126] He claimed victory from pole at the United States Grand Prix, however this was insufficient to prevent race runner-up Hamilton from mathematically securing the championship with two races remaining.[127] Bottas retired from fifth place with an engine failure at the Brazilian Grand Prix and ended the season with a fourth-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after starting from the back of the grid.[128][129]
Bottas finished the season in second place in the World Drivers' Championship with 326 points to Hamilton's 413. He recorded four wins, fifteen podium finishes, five pole positions and three fastest laps, making 2019 his most successful year at Mercedes.[130][131] He was rated the fourth-best driver of the season in a poll of the Formula One team principals.[132] On his season, Bottas commented "I've not been able to be at my very, very best every single race, but much more often than ever before", and praised Hamilton's consistency
Bottas continued driving at Mercedes alongside Hamilton for 2020, having agreed to a one-year extension to his contract during the 2019 season.[134] He set the fastest time in pre-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.[135]
Bottas took pole position at the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix and led the race from start to finish.[136][137] Before the Styrian Grand Prix, it was revealed that Bottas and his team Mercedes were under investigation by the FIA for potentially breaching COVID-19 safety protocols after he returned home to Monaco. Whilst it was initially reported that Mercedes would receive warning letters,[138] Bottas and Mercedes were eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.[139] Bottas qualified fourth in wet conditions for the Styrian Grand Prix and went on to finish second in the race behind Hamilton, cutting his championship lead to six points.[140] Bottas qualified second behind Hamilton at the Hungarian Grand Prix, but made a false start and lost four places at the first corner. He was able to recover to third place by the end of the Grand Prix but lost the lead of the championship to Hamilton
Bottas again qualified second behind Hamilton at the British Grand Prix. He ran closely behind Hamilton for most of the race but fell back in the closing laps before suffering a tyre failure with four laps remaining. He returned to the pits for a tyre change and eventually crossed the finish line in 11th place.[142] Bottas secured pole position at the following week's 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, but tyre issues for the Mercedes cars allowed Max Verstappen to pass both and win the race. Bottas fell to third place behind Hamilton in the closing laps. This result caused Bottas to drop to third place in the Drivers' Championship.[143] Bottas qualified second for the Spanish Grand Prix but lost positions at the start and finished third behind Verstappen.[144] At the Belgian Grand Prix, he qualified second and held the position during the race.[145] He again qualified second for the Italian Grand Prix, but dropped to sixth place in the opening laps and would only recover to fifth by the finish line. Verstappen's retirement in the race allowed Bottas to regain second place in the Drivers' Championship, 47 points behind Hamilton.[146]
At the Tuscan Grand Prix, Bottas took the lead from pole-sitter Hamilton on the first lap. The race was red-flagged on lap seven after a multi-car accident, and Bottas lost the lead of the race to Hamilton shortly after the restart, eventually finishing second.[147] He qualified third behind Hamilton and Verstappen for the Russian Grand Prix, but benefited from penalties issued to Hamilton for pre-race practice infringements to cross the finish line first, claiming the ninth Grand Prix win of his career.[148] Bottas took pole position for the Eifel Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, but was overtaken by Hamilton for the lead after a lock-up at turn 1, and later fell further behind after Hamilton was able to make a pit stop during a virtual safety car period. Shortly afterwards, Bottas complained of power loss and was forced to retire from the race, extending Hamilton's championship lead to 69 points.[149] Bottas finished second at both the Portuguese and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix. He took pole position at the latter, but took damage from debris in the early laps and fell to third before Verstappen retired with a tyre failure.
Both Mercedes cars struggled for pace during the wet Turkish Grand Prix qualifying session, with Bottas qualifying ninth. The rain continued during the race and Bottas spun six times after damaging his front wing due to contact with the Renault of Esteban Ocon, finishing a lap behind eventual race winner Hamilton in 14th place.[151] This gave Hamilton an unassailable 110-point lead over Bottas in the Drivers' Championship, resulting in Hamilton claiming his seventh world title.[152] At the Bahrain Grand Prix, Bottas qualified 2nd before suffering a puncture during an early safety car period, dropping him right to the back. He eventually finished in 8th place.[153] At the following Sakhir Grand Prix, Hamilton was unable to race and was replaced by George Russell. Bottas qualified on pole by pipping Russell by 0.026 seconds.[154] In the race he was passed by Russell into turn 1. In the second stint of the race, Bottas began catching Russell before a spin by Jack Aitken brought out the safety car. When Russell went into the pits for a tyre change, he was mistakenly fitted with Bottas' tyres, causing Bottas a slow stop of almost half a minute before getting sent out without a tyre change. When the race restarted Bottas suffered against cars on much fresher tyres, falling from 4th to 8th by the end of the race.[155] In the final race of the year at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Bottas qualified and finished 2nd ahead of Hamilton, capping off a mixed season.[156] Bottas finished the Drivers' Championship in 2nd with 223 points, recording two wins, five pole positions, eleven podiums, and two fastest laps.
Bottas extended his contract with Mercedes into 2021.[159] At the Bahrain Grand Prix, he finished third. At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he struggled compared to his teammate Lewis Hamilton, unable to work his tyres and stuck in the ninth position.[160] Bottas' difficult race concluded with a retirement, after a crash with George Russell as the latter was attempting to overtake Bottas.[161] At the Portuguese Grand Prix, Bottas qualified on pole position but was passed by Hamilton and later Verstappen. Despite showing better pace than Verstappen in the late stages of the race, a sensor issue deprived him of challenging for second.[162] He achieved the same result at the Spanish Grand Prix after qualifying third and being overtaken by Leclerc at the start.[163] At the Monaco Grand Prix, Bottas was challenging for pole position, until Charles Leclerc crashed at the 16th corner, causing a red flag to be displayed and qualifying to be immediately ended before Bottas could complete his lap. Due to this, Bottas started third on the grid. He was promoted to second after Charles Leclerc could not start the race due to a car issue. His race, ended on lap 31 after his team was unable to remove a wheel during a routine pitstop
At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he qualified in 10th place, after a red flag prevented him and other drivers from setting a second flying lap in the third and final session, and was unable to make up positions in the race, eventually finishing 12th, ahead of only the Haas cars, Nicholas Latifi and his teammate Hamilton, who had made a mistake on lap 50.[165] At the French Grand Prix, Bottas qualified in 3rd place behind teammate Hamilton and Verstappen. In the final stages of the race, he struggled with tyre wear as he had to pit early to undercut Verstappen. He was eventually passed by Verstappen and Pérez, leaving Bottas furious with the one-stop strategy implemented by Mercedes as he finished the race in fourth.[166] In the Styrian Grand Prix, Bottas qualified 2nd ahead of Hamilton but was demoted to fifth due to a penalty for dangerously spinning in the pitlane in FP2. During the race, he overtook the McLaren of Lando Norris using DRS and undercut Pérez during the pitstop phase, and despite coming under pressure from the two-stopping Red Bull at the end of the race, finished 3rd, his first podium since Spain.[167] In the Austrian Grand Prix, he qualified 5th directly behind Hamilton. During the race, several close battles resulted in cars being forced off-track and drivers receiving time penalties. Hamilton suffered damage to his car and the team ordered Hamilton to allow Bottas to overtake him. Bottas finished 2nd behind Verstappen.[168] At the Italian Grand Prix, Bottas took first in the Friday qualifying session and went on to win the sprint qualifying on Saturday, but incurred grid penalties for changing components.[169] Starting from last in the race, he eventually fought back to 3rd, behind the two McLarens of Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris.[170] In the Russian Grand Prix, Bottas qualified 7th in tricky conditions but was demoted to 17th after another engine change.[171] During the race he was passed by Verstappen early on in the race and suffered from understeer, yet recovered to 5th after a well-timed pitstop for intermediate tyres on the rapidly dampening track
At the Turkish Grand Prix, Bottas qualified 2nd behind teammate Hamilton but started on pole after Hamilton incurred a grid penalty. Bottas comfortably led most of the race from Verstappen until his pitstop. After pitting for new inters he easily passed Leclerc's Ferrari and went on to achieve his first and only victory of the year, over 14 seconds ahead of 2nd placed Verstappen.[173] At the following United States Grand Prix, Bottas qualified 4th but was forced to take yet another engine penalty, thus starting 9th.[174] Bottas struggled with dirty air throughout the race, which made overtaking difficult, but he managed to climb back to 6th after overtaking the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz on the last lap.[175] At the Mexico City Grand Prix, Bottas qualified on pole position despite the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Pérez looking faster all weekend. He suffered a poor start in the race and was tagged by Daniel Ricciardo going into Turn 1, sending him to the back of the field. Having suffered from a poor pitstop and being stuck behind Ricciardo for much of the race, he was pit by Mercedes to take the fastest lap off Verstappen, thus maintaining Mercedes's lead over Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship.[176] In the São Paulo Grand Prix, Bottas qualified in 3rd, but due to a disqualification from qualifying for Hamilton, he started that week's sprint race from the front row. A good start on the soft tyres meant he jumped Verstappen at the start, and he went on to win the sprint.[177] In the race on Sunday, Bottas was passed by both Red Bulls on the opening lap after contact with Verstappen. Bottas let Hamilton past and re-overtook Pérez during the pitstop phase, ending the race in third.[178] In the Qatar Grand Prix, Bottas started the race in sixth position after failing to slow down for yellow flags in Q3. He eventually retired on lap 48 after suffering a front-tyre damage.[179] Bottas qualified third for the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. On lap 10 Mick Schumacher's Haas lost control of his car and crashed into the barriers, prompting Mercedes to pit both Hamilton and Bottas during safety car conditions, as Verstappen opted to stay out. The race was red-flagged after four laps behind the safety car, thus allowing Verstappen to change his tyres. Bottas would finish the race in third place after snatching the last podium spot from Ocon on the last lap.[180] In Abu Dhabi, Bottas qualified sixth and finished the race in the same position for his last race with Mercedes.[181] Bottas finished third overall at the Drivers' Championship with 226 points.
