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Has Bottas chosen another year of torture?

In theory, Valtteri Bottas has all the tools he needs at his disposal to win multiple Formula 1 world championships. The problem is the phenomenal talent on the other side of the Mercedes garage standing in his way. Having agreed a contract extension for 2020, is Bottas simply set for yet another season of arduous punishment, or can he finally achieve what seems an impossible dream?

Valtteri Bottas has a large - and rather obvious - problem in his life.

You see, Bottas wants to be a Formula 1 world champion. He has got himself into the right position to do it. He is in the best team and he is driving what has been, on balance for the duration of his time there, the best car. But you already know what the problem is. And so does Bottas. The problem is Lewis Hamilton.

Bottas believes he can beat Hamilton. He has to, of course. On a micro level - individual races; single qualifying sessions - he has already. At the time of writing, after the Singapore Grand Prix, Bottas had won five races since he joined Mercedes in 2017. But then there's Hamilton's record. In the same period, he's won 28. That's more than five times as many. Ouch.