© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
After a few disappointing races that saw his drop to third in the 2020 championship standings, Valtteri Bottas is ready to fight back in Belgium.
The first major blow to Bottas’ title hopes was dealt at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix when he finished outside the points due to a late puncture. Unsatisfactory results in the Hungarian and Spanish Grands Prix led to the Finn dropping behind Max Verstappen in the 2020 championship standings.
However, after having a week off to refocus, the Finn is ready to get his title bid back on track.
“Yes, it was a disappointing weekend and there are now a few races that just didn’t go my way and I was far from what the goal was, so it’s disappointing when you have all in for the sport, to try and achieve your goals,” said Bottas.
“But the most important thing is to bounce back and reset and find the right mindset. I definitely had a bit of a disconnect, as we had a weekend off, so I’m fully recharged and I’m ready to be here again and try to be at my best level.
“I’m in good spirits and looking forward to spending my birthday tomorrow on track, in one of the best tracks in the world and with, probably, the best racing car in the world. Things are good!”
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The Finn might have a little help from cooler conditions on the Belgian track that are expected to pay into Mercedes’ favour.
“Again, it’s such a different track from the previous tracks where we had tyre issues, so it’s so difficult to predict.
“But with the softer compound, it’s maybe a bit more difficult to make it with one-stop, even though you can always try to qualify on the medium.”
During the Spanish Grand Prix Bottas complained over the radio that he was feeling too hot in the cockpit due to Mercedes’ new black overalls, which prompted Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff to publicly deny that the color had anything to do with it. However, lower temperatures in Belgium might alleviate the problem.
“I don’t know if it has to do with the new material or with the colour, but it was pretty hot,” Bottas explained.
“I believe the overalls are the same and I believe that was maybe the hottest race we’ve had this year are going to have this year.”
