Q&A with Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes launch

Valtteri Bottas

Question: Valtteri, last year you had a hectic winter as you joined Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport at short notice. How was your winter this year?

Valtteri Bottas: This year I could really relax, focus on my health and my training. I did a lot of training, especially in January and February. I’m feeling fresh, healthy and fit for the new season.

Question: You spent a few days in the factory in the past weeks. How would you describe the atmosphere in the team?

Valtteri Bottas: It’s always really interesting to go to the factory for the first time after the break, to see how things have been going since December. Even though people get some holiday over Christmas and New Year, there are always people at the factory working on the new car. It’s really interesting to see how the winter has been going, how the new car is coming together. I had a number of meetings with my engineers regarding the approach for the new season. I also did quite a lot of simulator work for winter testing and the season ahead.

Question: You will be the first person to drive the new Mercedes-AMG F1 W09 EQ Power+, our challenger for the 2018 season. How does that feel?

Valtteri Bottas: It’s really amazing to know how many hours have been spent on designing and manufacturing the new car and how much effort people have put into it. As a driver you feel really special to be able to drive that machine. We all just hope that it’s going to be a good machine, a quick one.

Question: 2018 comes with a few changes – the halo, less power units to be used per driver per championship. What are your thoughts on that?

Valtteri Bottas: I have done more than one race distance in the simulator with the halo and I got used to it during the first race. Initially it was a bit weird to see the halo, but I got completely used to it; it’s not disturbing any more so I’m fine with it. I’m sure it’s going to look a bit strange for all the fans initially as well because there’s never been anything like that on a Formula One car. But as it is with all the changes in the past, something new always looks a bit weird in the beginning, before people get used to it. If the halo can protect even from a small injury, then that’s a good rule change. Regarding the power units, we hope to keep a similar level of reliability to last year when we were very reliable. That’s all thanks to all the hard work in Brixworth. We hope that the new PUs will be powerful and reliable and that we won’t have any issues with the new regulations.

Question: Formula One is coming back to Germany in 2018 and will also see the addition of a French GP at Paul Ricard. How do you feel about that?

Valtteri Bottas: I’ve raced so many times at Hockenheim: the first time was probably in 2007 with Formula Renault. And I’ve been racing there in F3 as well and GP3. It’s always been a great circuit to go to. And I have good memories from the 2014 F1 race, when I came in second with Lewis just behind me. Hopefully we can get the same result this year – just one place better. And it will be good to go back with Mercedes as it will be a home race for us.

Question: That’s your goal for Hockenheim. But what’s your goal for the season?

Valtteri Bottas: I want to use all the things that I learned last year. This year is all about executing and delivering the results. For me, consistency is the key. I had some really good races, but then I had races where I was not on the level I wanted to be. I want to be on a good level on every single race weekend – that’s going to be the goal for me this year. I definitely want to fight for the championship.

Question: We saw a close battle with Ferrari last year. Who do you think are going to be the main competitors this year?

Valtteri Bottas: On paper, Ferrari and Red Bull look like they will be our toughest competitors. But we should not underestimate any other teams. It’s a new season and you never know what people in other teams have come up with. McLaren and Renault can be very strong. And you never know about Williams either they have shown some strengths in the past few years. So it’s going to be really interesting how it’s going to be.

Question: What are the three things you’re most excited about in 2018?

Valtteri Bottas: Number one will be the first time getting into the new car. It’s always super exciting to drive the new car for the first time and get a feel for it. And knowing that so many hours of work have gone in to it makes it even more special. Number two will be Melbourne. It’s always really cool to get on the starting grid for the first time and seeing what we can do as a team compared to the others. And number three: I’m looking forward to all the new wins and a good end result for the year.