Bottas “thank you” for the “fan mail” and says, “That had to go!”

(Motorsport-Total.com) – “Do you think anyone thinks you are here to win?” This “fan mail” reached the social networks of the Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas. And he responded immediately. Bottas wrote: “I don’t care what you think. If I thought like you, I would never have had a chance in my career, never! And I won’t give up!”

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Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas says: Sochi win was very good for him Focus

It’s situations like this that fueled Bottas’s emotional outburst after crossing the finish line. Because he had barely moved his hand, Bottas roared over the radio again: “To those interested: lick my ass!”

Later in the press conference, Bottas stated dryly: “That had to come out. The frustration had built up.” He is tired of giving his best week after week at the racetrack, but alone, in his eyes, he receives completely unfounded criticism.

Bottas: “Glück” was there too!

The second win of the season in 2020, with the ideal number of points 26, gave him the opportunity to vent in public. “I was doing well now,” said Bottas, who had been marked as the clear winner after 53 laps in Sochi.

Two penalties against his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, who had initially led, paved the way. “Of course there was a bit of luck,” says Bottas. “But I like to take that with me because I think I deserve it.”

He hopes the Russian Grand Prix will be the initial spark for the rest of the season. In any case, she wants to take advantage of a “positive momentum” in the next races.

Reduced deficit in Hamilton

Because: “It was a strong race with good rhythm on my part. I had everything under control. You need results like this to gain confidence. That is why I am very satisfied with this victory. And it also means: the championship is not over yet” .

In fact, Bottas has slightly narrowed the gap with World Cup leader Hamilton by at least eleven points. But Hamilton would still be comfortably ahead even if he failed.

But Bottas doesn’t want to be intimidated by the current rankings or its critics. His basic attitude is no different: “I have confidence. Every time I go to a race weekend, then with the confidence that I can do it. And so it will always be. You need this attitude.”

How Bottas Tackles Criticism

Following his qualifying loss to Hamilton, he told himself there would be “chances” in the race. And exactly that possibility had also arisen. “Today,” says Bottas, not without relief, “it’s over once for me.”

“So I hope I can make people never give up. Because that would be the biggest mistake in life.”

Instead, he learned to take “a lot of strength and energy” from any form of criticism. “Some tell me I shouldn’t give up, I should give up. But that’s not how I’m done. I’ll never give up. So I just wanted to send my regards to these people again.”

That radio message got away from him “just like that,” says Bottas. Otherwise, you don’t really think about those who just wanted to tease you. “It’s not something that haunts me,” he says. “I just don’t know why they are doing this. I hope these people learn.”