© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Valtteri Bottas says he didn’t know if his Mercedes exit would also mean the end of his Formula 1 career, and he had to “ask for outside help”.
2021 was a year full of uncertainty for Valtteri Bottas. Throughout the year there were a lot of rumours floating around in the media saying that Mercedes will not be renewing his contract, but it was only after the summer break that it was officially announced.
The Finn now admits that the uncertainty over his F1 career forced him to seek professional help.
“That season was more difficult again, when the future was on the line and I didn’t know which team I would drive for. It was a big threshold to ask for outside help,” Bottas told .
“That’s what you think when you’re such a tough guy that you don’t need help, that I can take care of things by looking in the mirror.
“But a professional knows how to ask the right questions and open a lot of locks. I’m not the only one there who sometimes has a hard time.”
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Bottas also revealed how his strict training and diet regimen, also had a negative impact on his mental health.
“It wasn’t very healthy. I wanted to be the best, and I thought I had to do that.
“If the team says that I have to weigh 68 kilos and I naturally weigh 73 kilos, then they will do everything for that.
“I needed a psychologist to help me recover, whose first assessment of me was that I’m almost like a robot who only wants to reach his goal and has no feelings at all. It startled me.
“It’s true that at that time I had no other life than F1,” the Finn concluded.
Ultimately the Finn signed a contract with Alfa Romeo, and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff later said he didn’t want to commit to anything until he was sure that Bottas had a seat for 2022.
