Valtteri Bottas says finishing 25 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton at Portuguese Grand Prix only acts to “motivate” him going forward.
Despite moving into the lead on the crazy opening lap at Portimao, problems with graining during the first stint allowed Hamilton to catch and pass his Mercedes teammate before going on to claim his record-setting 92nd Formula 1 win.
But rather than be frustrated by the hefty loss, he says it only pushes him to improve.
“It’s motivation. As I’ve said before, I definitely don’t want anything easy,” he said.
“It’s how I’ve been raced and what is my mindset, that I will always keep going and it’s just great motivation to try and beat him and it’s difficult but I know it’s possible and that’s the thing.
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“If I give up, it won’t ever be possible and that will be the biggest mistake to do and also what Max said, the main thing is really to give it all you have every single time, make the most out of every situation.
“Obviously Max is a bit younger, I’m 31 now but I still feel like I’m peaking,” Bottas claimed.
“I’m not yet there and hopefully, soon, I will be and I also feel I still have quite a few years and I’ll keep pushing and that’s it. For me, it’s very simple.”
With just five races to go, however, including this weekend’s Emilia Romagna GP at Imola, Bottas sits 77 points behind Hamilton in the Drivers’ standings.
That means, providing any big twists, Lewis has a very good chance of matching Michael Schumacher as a seven-time world champion at the Turkish GP in two weeks time.