Valtteri Bottas has claimed that Imola still gives him goosebumps ahead of this weekend's Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix. Formula 1 returns to the iconic track for the second season in a row, after the COVID-19 pandemic prompted championship organisers to rethink the proposed 2020 calendar. However, the Mercedes man certainly doesn't mind heading back to Italy so early into the 2021 season. "It's such a legendary place," Bottas stated in a video for Mercedes' F1 partner Petronas. "When you drive there you definitely feel the history and all the things that have happened there before. Good and bad things. As a driver, even now, I get goosebumps." While Bottas most certainly enjoys Imola's retro configuration, it's fair to say he didn't enjoy the greatest of debut races last year. The 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix saw Bottas relinquish the lead to teammate Lewis Hamilton, before then being passed by Red Bull's Max Verstappen. The Finnish driver will be hoping history doesn't repeat itself this time around. "Imola is a pretty penalising track in terms of mistakes. It's so narrow, and you need to be so precise with every detail. Last year it was pretty hectic because it was so quick," the 31-year-old continued. "Qualifying was awesome. I really enjoyed it, but of course, the race didn't go as planned. I had mixed emotions because as a team we won the constructors championship at Imola."
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