Nico Rosberg has revealed that Valtteri Bottas may be “the perfect driver” in terms of mental strength.
Rosberg: Valtteri Bottas may be “the perfect driver”
When Rosberg announced that he would be retiring at the end of 2016 after he won the world championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, one of the most lucrative seats in Formula 1 came up for grabs in 2017. It was Bottas who grabbed this opportunity with both hands, leaving Williams to join Mercedes at the start of the year.
Speaking to Auto Bild, Rosberg admitted that his decision to leave may have hurt Mercedes. “I wouldn’t exactly say that,” he said, “but of course my departure was difficult for them, especially with the new regulations.”
It is without doubt that this left Mercedes on the back foot going into 2017, but Rosberg noted that “It’s nothing against Ferrari, but they were able to start with their new car much earlier. So that was their advantage. But Mercedes is still very, very strong – when you look at the car, the level of detail is just amazing.”
When asked about his replacement at the Silver Arrows, Rosberg said: “I’m really impressed. He might be the perfect driver mentally because he is able to just concentrate on himself, making him consistent and fast.”
While much of the focus in the media is on Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton’s fight in the Drivers’ Championship, Bottas has been consistently performing and delivering to put himself into third, just behind Vettel and Hamilton. Going into the summer break, Bottas has the best form of any driver on the grid with five consecutive podium finishes to his name.
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