Valtteri Bottas admits the ongoing coronavirus lockdown has enforced his passion for Formula 1 and his wish to become world champion.
The Finn will take part in his fourth season at Mercedes when the action resumes hopefully from July and is hoping to put up a stronger fight to teammate Lewis Hamilton after finishing 87 points behind last year.
A strong end to the season though had given Bottas some momentum coming into 2020 but after building himself up for the season opener in Australia, the eventual cancellation and uncertainty was immensely frustrating.
“Obviously, there was the unknown of whether we were going to race the next week, the weekend after, quite soon, or, when is the next race,” he said in a Mercedes YouTube video.
“So initially it was quite tricky but then once there was more confirmation about different Grands Prix being either postponed or cancelled you kind of had to accept ‘Okay, it’s going to be months that we’re going to be racing next’.
“It was a strange feeling because I was so ready and everything was so well prepared for the whole season. I was really keen to go, really keen to start, and it felt like everything was taken away.”
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Now over a month into the lockdown, however, Bottas admits waiting to get back on track has given him time to reflect.
“Always when you can’t do the things you would like to do it makes you appreciate it more, which is a shame, and I’m sure we can learn from this,” he commented.
“I’m sure many people now in this situation have had things in the mind they would love to do, but they can’t. Maybe when things are back to normal, a good lesson for all of us will be to appreciate the things we are able to do in everyday life.”
Bottas is one of those drivers currently without a 2021 seat as his contract is up for renewal.
And now, with a renewed desire during this enforced break, he’s keen to ensure push on and pursue his dream of becoming champion.
“I really want to continue for multiple years because I want to reach my targets. I really enjoy it, I love it. I miss F1,” he said.
“Since a kid, I’ve had this target in my career to be a world champion, and obviously I still haven’t achieved it, so that keeps me going, and that keeps me motivated.
“Every single year that makes me want to do everything better than I’ve done before. Okay, you can’t always get there. There are always ups and downs in your career, but those downs you need to turn into a strength.
“I think now, within myself, how things are in my life, and also in terms of my driving, and how we are working with the team, we’ve definitely found the right path, and I really feel the improvements at the moment. That’s why I’m eager to get driving.”
