Breaking news
Formula 1
Bottas says he's learned not to beat himself up
Mercedes Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas believes his negative experiences in 2017 helped him avoid beating himself up too much during a troubled Australian Grand Prix weekend.
Scott Mitchell
Edited: Mar 28, 2018, 5:11 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The Finnish driver crashed heavily early in the final part of qualifying and could only recover to eighth from 15th on the grid on Sunday.
Last season Bottas's campaign lost momentum as he started to struggle against teammate Lewis Hamilton and became distracted while trying to regain his form.
Asked by Motorsport.com if he was happy with his mental process in dealing with his Melbourne disappointment, Bottas replied: "I think so. I think it's something I learned from last year.
"You need to learn from every mistake but there's a limit to how much you need to beat yourself up because there's always a race in one or two weeks again and you need to be at your best mental shape.
He added: "It was not a good weekend, but what can do you do? I think the qualifying mistake kind of ruined the weekend.
"I'm not panicking. It's just one race out of 21."
Bottas has made it clear he expects to fight for the title this season as he bids to extend his Mercedes deal beyond the end of 2018, but four points from the opening grand prix means he is 21 behind early championship leader Sebastian Vettel.
He damaged his Mercedes' gearbox in the crash and also had to have its control electronics and energy store replaced, putting him at risk of another grid penalty already.
Asked to draw the positives from the opening weekend, Bottas pointed to the second part of qualifying, in which he lapped within half a tenth of Hamilton.
"I felt like I was starting to get things right and in Q2 the pace was very similar to Lewis' and he did a really good job in Q3 where I shunted," he said.
"I knew that with the lap I had in Q2 there was a lot more to come. I know the speed is there and we'll try again in two weeks."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Video: Ferrari's key steps to create a Mercedes beater
Next article Mercedes uncovers bug that led to Melbourne defeat
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Scott Mitchell
Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur
Formula 1
Formula 1
Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur
Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'
Formula 1
Formula 1
Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'
Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari
Formula 1
Formula 1
Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari
More from
Valtteri Bottas
Cadillac reveals date for F1 engine factory debut, thanks drivers for being “patient”
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
23 h
Cadillac reveals date for F1 engine factory debut, thanks drivers for being “patient”
Cadillac’s F1 brakes are still a problem: ‘I had to lift and coast on lap two’
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Cadillac’s F1 brakes are still a problem: ‘I had to lift and coast on lap two’
You Ask The Questions: Valtteri Bottas
Formula 1
Canadian GP
You Ask The Questions: Valtteri Bottas
More from
Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton: Kimi Antonelli “deserves to be the champion”
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Lewis Hamilton: Kimi Antonelli “deserves to be the champion”
George Russell: F1 2026 season a test of "character and resilience"
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
4 h
George Russell: F1 2026 season a test of "character and resilience"
Latest news
Lewis Hamilton: Kimi Antonelli “deserves to be the champion”
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
Lewis Hamilton: Kimi Antonelli “deserves to be the champion”
Alex Marquez: Marco Bezzecchi ‘miscalculated’ move in bizarre practice crash
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
7 min
Alex Marquez: Marco Bezzecchi ‘miscalculated’ move in bizarre practice crash
IndyCar unveils full 2027 schedule with Barcelona debut and all-network FOX coverage
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 20 min
IndyCar unveils full 2027 schedule with Barcelona debut and all-network FOX coverage
Fernando Alonso backs IndyCar Barcelona race but warns against wider global expansion
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 52 min
Fernando Alonso backs IndyCar Barcelona race but warns against wider global expansion
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe