Toto Wolff, the Mercedes Team Principal, spoke about how Valtteri Bottas is not similar to former F1-driver Nico Rosberg after Finn’s desire to retire following the 2018 Russian Grand Prix.
In the third season of Drive to Survive on Netflix, Bottas mentioned how he had to finish second to his teammate Lewis Hamilton in Sochi for maintaining the lead on the constructor table.
After knowing the 31-year-old’s statement, Wolff agreed to the Finnish racer’s disappointment with the results. But the dire situation forced Toto to take such steps in Russia and further compared the Finn to the former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg.
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes AMG F1 Team Principal, compared Valtteri Bottas to the former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, after knowing about Bottas’ desire to quit F1 following the Sochi incident in 2018.
Wolff said, “The way I hated that, I can imagine how bad that must have been for him, much worse. Valtteri is not Nico [Rosberg], he also works quite differently. He certainly has the will inside him to get close to Lewis and beat him, but in his own way, which is different.”
Valtteri Bottas and his future in Mercedes
The Sochi incident is one of the worst experiences for Bottas, because of the pressure from Sebastian Vettel, who was then driving for Ferrari. Hamilton getting a P2 could only get a three points gain compared to a 10 points gain if the Brit wins the race.
Bottas was furious about the decisions and even thought about quitting F1. Further, Toto related to his pain and claimed, “No, he was very downhearted, of course. I understand that – but I don’t think he was close to retirement,
Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes AMG F1 thought about quitting Formula One after being forced to finish P2 at the Russian Grand Prix at the Sochi Autodrom on September 30, 2018. (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images)
“Because he’s too much of a competitor for that. But I can imagine, in the heat of the situation, after the race, you don’t understand the world.”
Since that incident in Sochi, Wolff had tried to keep his team safe from any kind of politics. The German constructor equally supports both the driver to perform well in races.
The Brackley-based are enjoying a lead on the 2021 table with 41 points, as Hamilton got 25 points for winning the season-opener at Bahrain. Whereas, the Finnish veteran got 15 points for P3 and an extra point for the fastest lap.
Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas taking the first and third position. (Image courtesy: Formula One’s official Twitter handle)
Valtteri Bottas will again go behind the Mercedes W12 in the upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Autodrome Enzo e Dino Ferrari on April 18. We can hope to expect a podium from the Finnish pilot at Imola.
