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Bottas to “come back stronger” after a difficult 2018 season

Bottas to “come back stronger” after a difficult 2018 season

01-02-2019 17:50
5

Bevan Youl

After a troublesome 2018 season in which Valterri Bottas didn’t manage to win a race with a variety of poor form and bad luck, he insists he will “come back stronger” in his third season with constructors’ champions Mercedes.

The Finn finished fifth in the driver’s standings and after a couple of months into the off-season has found the positives that he didn’t see straight away.

In an interview on Mercedes official website Bottas said "I am very happy to start a new season, because for me personally 2018 did not go the way I wanted to.”

"There was quite a bit of criticism at some stages of 2018, but that's actually been a positive thing for me because it's given me an extra boost."

"I've taken all the points I can learn from last year to come back stronger. And I also found many positives, which I maybe didn't see at the end of the year, but now digging deep I can see those. I can build on all of that for 2019."

Looking ahead to the start of the 2019 season Bottas is ‘excited’ as all drivers will be starting from scratch again on zero points when the first race commences in Melbourne on 17th March.

"I'm sure it's going to be interesting."

"I am excited that everyone starts with zero points. We are all on the same line and 2019 can bring anything, that's exciting.”

"It's going to be a new season ahead and I'm going to put everything I have for this year, all in.”

"With some regulation changes there are always question marks, but I can guarantee everyone has been doing and will be doing everything they can for the new car."