An F1 star says he is willing to sacrifice his own fortunes as the battle between Mercedes and Red Bull goes down to the wire.
Valtteri Bottas says he is willing “take one for the team” to ensure teammate Lewis Hamilton wins a record-breaking eighth F1 world title and Mercedes secures another constructors’ championship.
With five races remaining this season, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen leads Hamilton in the drivers’ standings by just 12 points and it appears their battle for the world championship will go down to the wire.
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Bottas is 90.5 points behind Hamilton, while Mercedes leads Red Bull by just 22.5 points in the constructors standings.
With every point crucial, the Finn is determined to do everything he can to stop Verstappen winning the title and maintain Mercedes’ stranglehold on F1.
“Every race is always different,” Bottas told Fox Sports.
“It’s hard to predict what is going to happen.”
“If there is an opportunity to try and help Lewis with the points by stealing points from Max or whatever, I’ll do it because realistically I am not in the championship fight anymore.
“I am a team player and I will take one for the team if needed.
“For me, the first priority is to always try and win.”
When asked if Hamilton or Verstappen will come out on top at the end of the season, Bottas cheekily responded: “Lewis, because I’ll be the deciding factor in helping him getting more points.”
Mercedes has won every drivers and constructors championship since 2014 but is facing its toughest battle in years thanks to the rise of Verstappen.
“It has been a pretty incredible battle with Red Bull and the constructor’s championship is pretty close,” Bottas said.
“The drivers’ championship is close. Lewis and Max are fighting for the win. It has been pretty hectic and we have had to squeeze everything out of the team.
“We are keeping our nerves in place and are very motivated.
“Everyone is motivated. We do feel like we are in a close fight. We know that we can’t do any mistakes, we can’t afford them.
“There’s obviously nice excitement because now every point matters so much.”
This will be Bottas’ final campaign with Mercedes after it was confirmed he would be joining Alfa Romeo from 2022 with young gun George Russell to take his seat at Mercedes.
The 32-year-old had endured some inconsistent form this season but broke through for his first win in 12 months at the Turkish Grand Prix, soon after his departure from Mercedes was announced.
“You appreciate the wins much more the less often they happen and obviously it was quite a long wait – one year – and even though every single race I was trying to win, when it doesn’t click, it doesn’t click,” Bottas said.
“But then when it does it’s a great feeling and really rewarding.
“Also in September in Monza, I also had one of my best races as well, starting from the back and finishing on the podium. I think once I got my future for the next few years secured, it was almost like a weight coming off my shoulders and I feel like I’m enjoying it again and doing what I love to do.
“I feel like recently I’ve been in good form and if not my best then close to it, definitely. I’ve learned a lot and it’s good experience in helping me get better.
“I’m still hungry to improve more though so I feel that my best years are still ahead of me.”
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Originally published as Valtteri Bottas to ‘take one for the team’ in Mercedes’ battle with Red Bull
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