Valtteri Bottas has been Lewis Hamilton's only realistic challenger for the past two seasons. The other teams simply did not come close to Mercedes. In 2021, there is a chance that this scenario could play out again. To make it an exciting championship, Bottas will have to reinvent himself.
We've already had Bottas 2.0, Bottas 3.0 and also in the preparation for 2021 Bottas has tried something new. He says he feels very strong thanks to a good balance between time off and extremely hard training blocks. To this end, he spent the winter in freezing conditions in Lapland, where he also sought mental balance.
Bottas wants to maintain mental strength all season
"For this season I have put a lot of time and focus into the mental aspect," he is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. How exactly he has done that, however, he prefers to keep to himself, but the intention is at least to maintain that mental strength throughout the season. "If I need help, I will use professional help. If not, I'll just use a mirror."
2021 looks set to be a crucial year for Bottas in many ways. In recent seasons, his contract has been extended by one year each summer, but with George Russell in the waiting room at Mercedes, that seems to be coming to an end this year. It also means that this is probably Bottas' last chance to become world champion.