Wolff: Bottas wants to "disappear" during winter break

After a disappointing campaign, Toto Wolff says Valtteri Bottas wants to "disappear" and go home during the winter break to revitalise. The Finn failed to win a race during the season despite looking odds-on in at least three Grands Prix.

Bottas finished fifth in the drivers' championship, the lowest a Mercedes driver has finished since Nico Rosberg's sixth place in 2013. To make matters worse, Bottas was forced to give up a race victory to help his team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, win the drivers championship.

After speaking to Bottas, the Mercedes boss is confident he will come back fighting after refocusing during the winter break.

"He said to me that he just wants to disappear back home, recharge the battery. Forget, recover and recuperate, and then come back next year. It has just been very long. I can understand his frustrations," Wolff told Autosport.

At the conclusion of today's testing session, they'll be no more Formula 1 action until February. Bottas explains how he is "drained" following a difficult season.

"I definitely feel a bit drained at the moment, and it is difficult to see many positives from the year. But in this sport, you definitely get to know yourself, and I know that once I have some time off, it's going to be fine," Bottas said.

"I'm going to be seeing the bright sides of this season, and I'm going to be full attack for next year."