On paper, Valtteri Bottas ’2020 was just the fourth consecutive season where he was beaten to the title by Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton. But the Fingalians said there was much to celebrate from this season, as well as enough learning to bring it into 2021.
The season began, as did 2019, with Bottas ’strong influence in the first race in Austria, prompting talk again that this could truly be Bottas’ year. But he would never reach the top stage again, at the Russian Grand Prix, as Hamilton clinched his seventh title – and fourth consecutive title – with three rounds to go, at the eventually going on to win 11 times.
SITE MORE: Hamilton says 2020 ‘one of the toughest years’ in his Formula 1 career
Nonetheless, with Hamilton’s 124-point margin at the end of his teammate in the drivers ’position – worth nearly five full race wins – Bottas was looking to focus on the positive things, after beating Red Bull ‘s Max Verstappen in second place in the drivers stand by nine points, and taking on five pole positions – his highest trip of a season.
“If I look back on this year, there are many positive things I can take,” Bottas said. “I have been able to make progress in many areas. Sure that’s still not enough to win the title, but I’ll keep pushing. There were some unfortunate races where I lost some points, but there were also some races that Lewis was better than me, and that was ultimately how it made the difference.
“It was sometimes about really good margins, whether it was about merit or how the race ended in terms of what kind of strategy I was pushing for, or was pushing for. for him, and how things came to an end. But in this sport – the points difference can look pretty big now, I know, but in the end it comes down to good margins and I couldn’t be Lewis has consistently been at a high level this year, so I think that has made a difference.
“It’s not much but I think it’s enough to win, and that’s something that will keep me pushing forward in the future, because I feel like I’m getting bigger better every year, and that gives me hope and encouragement and the desire to push more to try and keep growing, now and especially in the future. ”
MORE SITES: Red Bull’s ‘amazingly fast’ Abu Dhabi pace will boost Mercedes in winter, Bottas says
Despite Bottas’ progress, the Fingalians admitted it was hard to suffer a fourth straight loss to Hamilton – admitting he may have made his head down after Hamilton won the title. wrapped in Istanbul – while opening up on the level of competing against one of the sport’s top players in the same car.
“It’s no secret that fighting for Lewis for years and years, I know what it will take from me,” he said, “when, every weekend, I try to 100 % get away from me and keep pushing. Sometimes I get close, sometimes I get the hang of it. But it is difficult to accept the fourth consecutive year in terms of competition title.
MORE SITES: Wolff shuts off Russell’s profitability by confirming Bottas ‘to be in our car’ by 2021
“So it definitely has an effect, and when you know the title is lost, it’s not the same, although you should always keep it 100% and that’s what I do. try. But everyone knows how sensitive this sport is. So I think from this year, there’s a lot to learn, I hope I can use it for the future. ”