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Valtteri Bottas says he has made some "huge" gains throughout the 2019 season, which gives him confidence for the 2020 campaign.
Last time out at the US Grand Prix, Bottas' teammate Lewis Hamilton clinched the world championship with two rounds left to spare.
MORE: Hamilton: I'm working on a masterpiece
Bottas won the race in Austin, taking his fourth win of the year - the first time in his career he has won four races during a single season.
The Finn admits that he has made mistakes throughout the year which have dented his title challenge, but is confident that he will bounce back stronger next year.
"Overall I think there were a few mistakes, for sure, from my side I should have been able to avoid," Bottas said. "There were a couple on race starts, at least some of them were mistakes, some were maybe unlucky moments but they made me learn.
"Then a couple of qualifyings I messed up in Q3, definitely, which cost me starting position for the race and compromised the race and I lost points because of that.
"And then, I don’t know, luck, unlucky, whatever has been pretty even for me and Lewis overall, so he’s just been on a great level again this year, every single race, and I’ve not been able to be at my very, very best every single race, but much more often than ever before, so the direction is clear for me in terms of my development, overall.
"It’s a good momentum now and in terms of race pace, which has been my weakness in the years before, I’ve made huge gains by working really hard with the engineers, you know, every single detail of my driving and set-up.
"That’s getting better and that gives me really confidence for next year and, unlike at the end of last year, now I really look forward to the year ahead, and I’m already excited to start the next season and start from fresh. So that’s going to be good fun."
Bottas also sealed himself into second place in the drivers' standings following his win in Austin, marking his highest ever result in a Formula 1 championship.
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Replies (3)
Login to replydenis1304
Posts: 284
more like Hamilton's "easy going attitude" is giving him false hope for 2020
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I think the talent is there, but he lacks the will to go against the lead driver. Be a dragon, Bottas.
michielhimself
Posts: 132
Bottas already talking himself up for next year. At least he's ahead of schedule compared to last year but that's about the only difference it will make for him. Barring a miracle design fluke that makes next year's Merc undrivable for Hamilton and perfect for Bottas, he has no chance to stop Hamilton from going for title 7.