Valtteri Bottas reveals struggles with depression during his time at Mercedes
Valtteri Bottas has opened up about battling depression and coming close to abandoning Formula One altogether after being cast as Lewis Hamilton’s ‘wingman’ during his time at Mercedes, reports BritPanorama.
The Finnish driver, who partnered Hamilton for five seasons between 2017 and 2021, made these candid admissions in a piece for the Players’ Tribune. Bottas arrived at Mercedes following a successful debut season where he secured third place in the championship as Hamilton claimed his fourth world title.
However, his 2018 season proved to be deeply disappointing, with Bottas failing to secure a single victory while repeatedly being instructed by the team to yield position to his teammate. The low point came at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where team principal Toto Wolff described Bottas as a “sensational wingman” for assisting Hamilton’s triumph, comments that Bottas later revealed wounded him.
The 36-year-old, now racing for Cadillac in their inaugural season, admitted that the situation nearly drove him out of the sport entirely. “Do you know how badly I wanted to just say no? But I had to be a good teammate. I let him through, and of course, he had an incredible season,” Bottas wrote, reflecting on the intense pressure he faced.
Bottas noted that his mental state deteriorated significantly during this period, as negative thoughts began to consume him. He described experiencing feelings of self-loathing and recalled how he became overwhelmed by the pressure, stating, “The old me came back. The negative Valtteri. The obsessive Valtteri.” This mindset ultimately led him to a point of burnout prior to the 2019 season.
His return to Finland proved transformative, allowing him to shift his perspective and concentrate on becoming the best driver possible. This renewed approach resulted in him finishing second to Hamilton in both 2019 and 2020 before claiming third in his final season with Mercedes.
Bottas also disclosed struggles with an eating disorder early in his career while driving for Williams. After being advised to lose weight for car performance, he likened his behaviour during that period to that of a “drug addict,” noting that he felt satisfied as he watched his reflection grow thinner, despite his body entering “starvation mode.”
“I started having these intense foggy spells. Not full-blown panic attacks exactly, but whenever I was in a crowd, I would start to feel dizzy,” Bottas explained, recounting the health issues that led him to seek help from a psychologist after years of denial.
This narrative serves as a reminder of the pressures faced by professional athletes and the often unseen toll on their mental health. In the high-stakes world of Formula One, the balance between performance and personal well-being remains a critical, yet complex, conversation.
