Valtteri Bottas has been speaking about his winter break from Formula 1, which involved a period of self-honesty over how he can grow and improve ahead of the 2021 season. The Finnish driver is yet to beat teammate Lewis Hamilton over the course of a campaign, with last year's title challenge failing to even get started despite a promising start. However, Bottas remains steadfast in the face of such adversity and has instead claimed that a period of reflection over the winter months has geared towards handling the trials and tribulations that might come his way. "The main thing over the winter and over the break has been self-honesty - trying to work out how I can be better", Bottas stated at the Mercedes car launch event. "Knowing that when I'm on the grid in Bahrain that I've done everything I can to be at my physical and mental best...knowing I gave everything". On keeping his seat ahead of the 2022 regulation changes, Bottas is concentrating only on what he can do as a driver. The former Williams driver could be under threat from a current Williams driver for the Mercedes drive in 2022, as George Russell, as well as Max Verstappen, have both been linked with the seat in recent weeks. "It's now my fifth year with the team [Mercedes], I have full focus on my own targets." 2021 might represent Bottas' last chance to claim a driver's championship. As touched on earlier, the Finn will be under the microscope in 2021 and he must ensure that he bridges the current performance gap to Hamilton even if he cannot dethrone the reigning world champion.
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