“I now understand why Nico Rosberg retired” – Valtteri Bottas says it’s difficult being Lewis Hamilton’s teammate

Having been Lewis Hamilton's teammate for half a decade has given Valtteri Bottas perspective into Nico Rosberg's shock retirement from F1.

Bottas arrived at the Silver Arrows shortly after Rosberg decided to hang up his gloves at the end of the 2016 season. Now at Alfa Romeo, the Finn can understand why Rosberg chose to leave days after winning his maiden world title.

Speaking on the Talking About Me podcast, Bottas said:

“I remember Lewis (Hamilton) and Nico (Rosberg) fighting very hard with each other and it even became a bit political. But when I arrived at Mercedes, I wondered why Nico suddenly stopped. But now I can identify with him. I can say from experience that it’s not easy. If you feel like there is a knife in your throat, then the mind doesn’t always work correctly.”

Bottas will be driving for Alfa Romeo after replacing F1 legend Kimi Raikkonen. The 32-year-old hopes to forge a fruitful partnership with new teammate Guanyu Zhou.

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"I gave it my all" - Valtteri Bottas proud of Mercedes tenure despite being outshone by Lewis Hamilton

Valtteri Bottas has previously confessed that he arrived at Mercedes harboring hopes of winning a drivers' world championship. The Finn, however, found it hard to emerge from Lewis Hamilton's shadow.

Hamilton's mental fortitude and pure ability allowed him to dominate their inter-team rivalry rather comprehensively. Bottas confessed during a post-season interview with GPFans that he felt he did everything he could. He said:

“For sure it bothers me that I haven’t won the title, but it bothers me less because I know that there’s not much more that I could have done. That’s just the way it is, so definitely, every season (I) always try to find more about myself, always try to be better. Obviously, some seasons were a bit unlucky, some seasons I was not on the level I was supposed to be, but overall, I gave it my all.”

The Briton won 4 titles with 50 wins, 42 pole positions, and 78 podiums between 2017 to 2021. In contrast, Bottas had 10 wins, 20 poles, and 58 podiums. Hamilton also outscored the Finn by nearly 600 points in those five seasons. Regardless, Valtteri Bottas is still one of the most decorated Mercedes drivers in F1.