Valtteri Bottas explains reasons behind difficult F1 return: "It definitely hasn't come my way'

Valtteri Bottas has opened up on why his return to Formula 1 has proven so difficult, conceding that it "definitely hasn't come my way".

The Finn spent last season off the grid as Mercedes' reserve driver before being signed by Cadillac to race alongside Sergio Pérez.

So far, Bottas has regularly found himself adrift of the Mexican, losing 5-2 to Pérez in both qualifying and races this season.

Pérez has settled into the new F1 outfit more quickly than Bottas, while the latter has already had to bat away rumours of being dropped – rumours Cadillac was quick to dismiss.

Bottas has retired from three of the seven completed rounds and recorded a best finish of 13th in China, with multiple factors working against the veteran.

According to Bottas, he has struggled with the general feel of the car due to inconsistencies in its setup, while the lack of a race in April also worked against him.

Asked if factors like car set up and brake issues have caused his difficult start to the year, Bottas explained to select media, including RacingNews365: "I would say so. 

"It definitely hasn't come my way yet, and a lot of it is the inconsistency with the setup. Even some parts of the car quite often feel different to what you expect.

"Also, at the beginning of the year, having such a big gap between the races and not spending that much time on track hasn't helped. 

"But I'm really hoping that now we get into a better flow, a better rhythm, understand the issues we've been having with the car better, and go from there. So, it's still a long way to go."