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VALTTERI BOTTAS has revealed he almost quit Formula One in 2018 while teammates with Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.The Finnish driver took over from world champion Nico Rosberg for the 2017 season as he prepared to compete against Hamilton – who at that time had three world titles to his name.
Hamilton and Bottas were Mercedes teammates for five seasonsCredit: Getty
Bottas managed three victories in his first season with Mercedes and came third overall behind Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.
But the following year he failed to secure a single win, dropping to fifth as his teammate clinched a fourth title in five years.
And as criticism came from all corners about Bottas’ performance, he has now admitted he considered leaving the sport.
Speaking to Motor Sport Magazine, he said: “At the end of 2018, I almost stopped, it was so close.
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“Just because of the fact that I couldn’t understand and take the fact that I couldn’t beat Lewis in those two years.
“I put so much pressure on myself. Towards the end of 2018, especially when I started to have the support role in the team, I really couldn’t take it, I really struggled. It was not fun.
“The last four or five races of 2018 were more painful because you should enjoy F1 and it is pretty cool, but it wasn’t that at all. So I had a good break between the two seasons and really had to think things through.”
He continued: “The human mind is strange in a way that sometimes you go into dark places.
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“You lose the joy in things and I just completely lost the joy of F1 and racing in F1. I was almost angry at F1.
“It’s weird, but I just needed some time off, and think of the big picture and then I realised that ‘OK, it’s actually a pretty cool sport and I still have great opportunities ahead of me’. So I would be silly not to take them.
“I decided to go on a break in South America somewhere and just try not to think about F1 at all, and just try to find the will and the joy for the sport and the motivation.
“I found it, it was like a click. Probably [in] mid-January, I decided ‘OK, let’s do this. I can still do it’. So I managed to get myself together and I found the joy of driving again.”
In 2019, Bottas regained his mojo, finishing second overall behind Hamilton and winning four Grands Prix.
“Immediately, the results were much better than in 2018,” he said. “2019 was probably my best season so far, especially against Lewis.
“I won quite a few races, and especially until halfway through the season, I was sometimes even leading the championship, so it was a pretty, pretty strong year.
“But then just Lewis’ consistency and performances overall, for the whole season, I couldn’t match.”
Bottas finished second again in the 2020 season with two victories to his name.
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And then last year he came third behind Hamilton and Max Verstappen but still managed to pick up a 10th win of his F1 career at the Turkish Grand Prix.
Now with Alfa Romeo – after being replaced at Mercedes by George Russell – he has already managed seven top 10 finishes from nine races this season and sits eighth in the drivers championship. More

SIR JACKIE STEWART says the time has come for Lewis Hamilton to retire from Formula One.The Mercedes driver, 37, is experiencing the toughest season of his 15-year career after going ten consecutive races without a win.
Lewis Hamilton has been urged to retire and bring down the curtain on his F1 career by racing legend Jackie StewartCredit: Getty
And after being 98 points behind championship leader Max Verstappen ahead of next week’s British GP, three-time F1 champ Stewart said: “It’s time for him to resign.
“He’s got music, he’s got culture, he loves clothing and the rag trade would be absolutely suitable for him.
“I’m sure he’ll be very successful because he’s been earning a huge amount of money, rightfully so because he’s been the best of his time.”
Hamilton was on the verge of retiring last season after being left “disillusioned” with the sport after being cruelly denied a record eighth world championship.
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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-xpuujo{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(149,199,208,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-tqcu81{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(149,199,208,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-bq4915{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,97,108,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-bq4915:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}LEW VS MAX .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}How bitter rivals Hamilton and Verstappen compare after 150 F1 races
Race director Michael Masi – who has since been sacked – controversial handling of a late safety car allowed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to overtake the Mercedes man on the final lap of the final race to snatch the title.
The Stevenage-born star has struggled for pace this year with new team-mate George Russell finishing above him in seven of the opening nine races.
But despite claiming his second podium of the season last time out in Canada, fellow Brit Stewart believes Hamilton should quit racing now to keep his legacy intact.
The 83-year-old told The Convex Conversation podcast: “It was Lewis’ decision – to go to Mercedes and he has won six world championships since then.
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“He’s now struggling a little bit because he’s had a new teammate who’s been quicker than him in qualifying so far, which is gonna be difficult for him to handle.
“Lewis is in that group of the Ayrton Sennas and the Alain Prosts or even the Jackie Stewarts maybe.
“It’s a pity he wasn’t resigning at the top but I don’t think that’s gonna happen now.
“But nevertheless it’s wiser to stop than go through all the pain of not being able to do what you did before.
“He’s carried the sport very well. I would like to see him resigning now.”
Jackie Stewart, pictured with Hamilton in 2019, reckons the Merc man’s time is upCredit: Alamy More

LEWIS HAMILTON equalled his longest winless streak in Formula One last week after he finished third in the Canadian Grand Prix.The seven-time world champion, 37, is enduring his toughest season in F1.
Hamilton finished third in the Canadian GP last weekCredit: AP
On Sunday he earned his second podium finish of the year, but while he was overjoyed with the result, he also equalled an unwanted record.
He has now gone 10 consecutive races without recording a win – the longest run of his career.
There have only been three other occasions in which he has suffered this streak – in 2009 and twice in 2013.
The new regulations introduced by the FIA have meant that Mercedes are struggling to compete with their rivals.
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Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-bq4915:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}LEW VS MAX .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}How bitter rivals Hamilton and Verstappen compare after 150 F1 races
And Hamilton, who currently sits sixth in the drivers standings, has even branded the car as ‘undriveable’.
After a disastrous practice session ahead of the Canadian GP last week, he said: “We were trying lots of different things and an experimental floor on my side, which didn’t work. Nothing we do with this car seems to work.
“George [Russell] went with a much different setup in FP2 just to see if one ways works and one way doesn’t.
“I’ll wait to hear from him how it went but, for me, it was a disaster.
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“It’s like the car is getting worse, it’s getting more and more unhappy the more we do to it.
“We’ve been working on it and it is what it is. I think this is the car for the year, so we just have to tough it out and work hard on building a better car for next year.”
Despite initial concerns, the F1 legend went on to finish Sunday’s race in third.
He later described the unexpected result as ‘special’.
After the race, he said: “It’s quite overwhelming, honestly, to get this third place…
“It’s been such a battle this year with a car and as a team, but we continue to stay vigilant and focused and never give up, and that’s something I’m so proud of and inspired by.
“Red Bull and Ferrari are a little bit too quick for us at the moment but we’re getting closer. We have got to keep pushing and keep pushing. Eventually we will be in the fight.
“I’m ecstatic. I didn’t expect this. It feels really special, especially as it was where I got my first Grand Prix win.”
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While Hamilton has struggled to find his feet this year, his new team-mate George Russell continues to perform consistently.
The 24-year-old extended his run to nine consecutive top-five finishes at the weekend which has put him fourth in the drivers standings.
The F1 legend previously said his car was ‘undriveable’Credit: Getty More

MAX VERSTAPPEN celebrated his 150th Formula One race with victory at the Canadian Grand Prix last weekend.The Dutchman stretched his lead in the drivers standings to 46 points as he eyes a second successive title.
Verstappen is on track to retain his drivers championship this yearCredit: Getty
How Hamilton and Verstappen stack up after their first 150 F1 races
Hamilton has broken all sorts of records during his F1 careerCredit: AFP
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, who was controversially pipped to a record-breaking eighth championship by Verstappen last year, secured his first podium since the opening race of the season as he came home in third.
Regardless of what Hamilton does from here on in, the seven-time champion will arguably go down as the greatest driver in the sport’s history.
But how does Verstappen compare with the Mercedes legend after 150 races?
Well, it’s safe to say Hamilton has the edge in that department too.
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Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-bq4915:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}BEN HUNT .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Mercedes should ignore Hamilton’s pleas if they want to catch Ferrari & Red Bull
Hamilton had a sensational first 150 races of his F1 careerCredit: PA
The Brit managed 34 wins during that early part of his career, eight more than Verstappen.
He also secured significantly more pole positions – boasting 40, a mammoth 25 more than the Dutchman’s 15.
Their number of podiums after 150 races is a much closer comparison.
But Hamilton still comes out on top in that too – with 72 top three finishes to Verstappen’s 67.
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The one statistic in Verstappen’s favour is that he started his F1 career at a much younger age.
The Red Bull driver lined up on the grid for the 2015 Australian Grand Prix at just 17 years old.
That is five years younger than Hamilton was when he began his F1 journey at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix.
Nevertheless, Verstappen still has a long way to go if he is to get close to Hamilton’s plethora of remarkable records. More