Bottas: 2018 criticism has "given me an extra boost"

Valtteri Bottas has vowed to up his game in 2019 after a disappointing campaign last year. The 29-year-old was a peripheral figure in the title picture, playing rear-gunner for teammate Lewis Hamilton instead.

Although he was unlucky at points in 2018, a late race safety car in China closing the field up whilst he was leading and a puncture taking away a certain win in Azerbaijan, he himself had admitted that his performances were not good enough.

It also left him adrift in the championship to teammate Hamilton and his title rival Sebastian Vettel which relegated the Finn to Mercedes' back-up for much of the season.

Whilst last season he missed out on wins and was forced to give up the lead of the Russian Grand Prix to his teammate when another win looked likely, he insists that his detractors have given him more motivation for 2019.

“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,” Bottas explained at the Mercedes W10 launch.

“I am excited for the new season and that everyone starts with zero points. We are all on the same line and 2019 can bring anything; I’m going to go all in this year.”

Bottas was the first of the Mercedes pair to turn a wheel of the new car. The shakedown at Silverstone ahead of the official launch of the car was an opportunity to begin understanding the new W10.

“You never know what to expect and so it’s exciting to jump in the car and discover it, to try to get a feel of the balance of the car and its behaviour. We do already push the car in the shakedown to get a feel for it.”