Bottas: I considered quitting Formula 1 in 2018

Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas has revealed that he considered quitting Formula 1 in the wake of the team orders call that robbed him of victory at Sochi in 2018.

Bottas had taken pole position for the Russian Grand Prix, and was ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton when he was instructed to let the Brit, who was embroiled in a World Championship battle with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, past to claim the win.

The Finn admitted he had to do a lot of soul-searching following the infamous "Valtteri, it's James" radio message.

“Sochi 2018, that was a pretty tough race,” Bottas on Season 3 of Netflix series Drive to Survive.

“Tough to accept. I was pretty angry. Honestly I was thinking ‘Why do I do this?’. I was thinking of quitting [F1], of giving up. Straight after the race, I said I would not do it again”

Now entering his fifth season as Hamilton's teammate, Bottas says the fact he hasn't managed to beat Lewis over a season yet is something that weighs heavily on him.

“If your teammate wins and you are second, you feel like you lose,” Bottas admitted.

“I know I’ve been second in the past, but I want to prove I’m not just a No.2.In the team, even though many wouldn’t admit it, maybe unconsciously they have a No.1 and a No.2.

“Sometimes the team members had to question themselves: ‘Are we giving equal treatment to Lewis and Valtteri?'”