Valtteri Bottas: the usual disappointment?

It’s a profitable weekend for Valtteri Bottas in terms of points at Portimao, leaving with a total of 16 points, allowing him to double his tally. With only 32 points obtained in the first three Grand Prix races of the season, the Finn is currently in fourth place overall, behind Lando Norris and already far behind his teammate who has a 29-point lead. His retirement following the crash with George Russell during the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix is particularly significant at the start of the season, even though it must be noted that during the accident, he was fighting for ninth place.

Although the Portuguese Grand Prix may seem like a success for Bottas, it is not really the case. For the first time this season, Valtteri Bottas had the edge over his seven-time world champion teammate, Lewis Hamilton, during qualifying, securing pole position. Despite this advantage at the start, he was quickly overtaken by his teammate and then by Max Verstappen thanks to his undercut strategy, ultimately never posing a threat for the win. Out of 17 pole positions in his career, the Finnish driver has only managed to convert 5 into victories. A staggering and meaningful statistic, totaling 12 real disappointments.

Often criticized for his lack of performance, results, and sometimes even fighting spirit, it is not the first time that Valtteri Bottas and his ability to one day, perhaps, become a world champion have been called into question. Regularly perceived as the nice teammate, or even the good teammate, it is not a skill that a world champion needs. Formula 1 is a ruthless environment, requiring a lot of character and determination to hope to one day obtain the ultimate title. With, it is worth mentioning, 32 points after three Grand Prix at the beginning of this season, this is the worst start the Finn has had since 2016, the year he raced for Williams.

Valtteri Bottas will have the opportunity to redeem himself this weekend in Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix.