F1: Has Bottas pulled out of the championship?

Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas has said that he is already looking forward to next season, as he aims to achieve his dreams of winning the Formula One world championship.

Lewis Hamilton's win in Sunday's Russian Grand Prix looked to have wrapped up the driver's championship for another year.

Bottas, Hamilton's teammate, kept Ferrari's Charles Leclerc behind him in 3rd place to make it another 1-2 for the Silver Arrows this season.

Hamilton is currently on the verge of winning a 6th world championship and a 3rd consecutive world title.

The Briton currently leads Bottas by 81 points with only five races remaining on the calendar.

So Hamilton is just within touching distance of being on top of the world yet again and it seems Bottas has accepted defeat and is preparing for next year.

Bottas (left) and Hamilton celebrating a 1-2 in Sochi last Sunday

The Finn was confirmed by Mercedes back in August that he would be driving for the constructors' champions in 2020.

This, of course, gives Bottas another year of an opportunity of battling at the top of the grid and maybe go further to get his hands on the grand prize.

"I can't wait," said a very excited Bottas on Formula One's official podcast 'Beyond The Grid'.

“Every season I have learned so much and at some point, there has to be a time to put it all together to get to my dream, which I have been working for since I was a kid.

“So, no doubt 2020 I am going to put it all in and do whatever it takes to achieve it. I just have a feeling that it is going to be an interesting year.”

Bottas started off the 2019 campaign winning the opening race of the season in Melbourne at the Australian Grand Prix in a very convincing style.

Towards the end of last season, Bottas was under a little bit of pressure from the bosses at Mercedes as the 30-year-old did not win any races in 2018.

But with two race victories so far in 2019 and currently sitting in second place in the driver's championship, Bottas is looking very focused on achieving his childhood dream of becoming an F1 world champion.

Can Bottas beat Hamilton to the world championship in 2020? Comment below...

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Edited by Zaid Khan