Why Bottas won't emulate Rosberg to beat Hamilton

Of the four seasons Valtteri Bottas has been Lewis Hamilton's team-mate at Mercedes, he has been beaten in all of them. Although trying to emulate predecessor Nico Rosberg's approach is not an option, the Finn says he needs to try something new

Author Jonathan Noble

Updated Jun 5, 2021, 7:58 AM

Valtteri Bottas is under no illusions that he needs to do a better job in 2021.

As he heads into his fifth season as Lewis Hamilton's team-mate at Mercedes, ending the campaign with a few wins and pole positions, plus contributing to another constructors' title, will not cut it. He must do more.

With George Russell breathing down his neck after proving to Mercedes bosses at the Sakhir Grand Prix that he is ready for a full-time chance at the works outfit, Bottas finds himself battling for both success and his future. And, of course, the best way to guarantee his place would be a step up in form and winning the drivers' championship. Playing second fiddle simply is not an option. That's exactly why he feels that, after four campaigns where things haven't come together in the way he would have liked, it may be time to do things a bit differently.

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Author Jonathan Noble

Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.