"I'm enjoying F1 more than ever" - Valtteri Bottas compares maiden season at Alfa Romeo with Mercedes stint

Valtteri Bottas has confessed that he is enjoying F1 more than ever in his first year with Alfa Romeo.

Bottas first raced in F1 in 2013 with Williams. He then moved to Mercedes when Nico Rosberg retired days after winning the 2016 F1 World Championship ahead of Lewis Hamilton in equal machinery.

The move brought with it all the pressure that goes with driving for a championship contender. Valtteri Bottas' teammate for the entirety of that period barring one race was Lewis Hamilton, something that did not make matters any easier for the Finn either.

Despite his best efforts to try and become a world champion, Bottas was unable to get the better of Hamilton during their five years together at the Silver Arrows. This was followed by his move to Alfa Romeo to replace former world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who retired at the end of the 2021 campaign.

Having assumed the role of the leading driver ahead of his rookie teammate Guanyu Zhou, the 32-year-old is admittedly more relaxed in the ongoing 2022 season.

Speaking in an interview with Autosport, Valtteri Bottas opened up about his mindset now that he has left Mercedes. The Finn said:

“This is actually the first time for me, because even with Williams, it was always one year. It’s the first time I haven’t had to stress and answer the questions, because now for the drivers who don’t know, for sure it’s not going to be nice. This season is probably the most enjoyable so far.”

The 10-time race winner went on to add:

“OK, maybe you don’t always remember things, but it really feels like I’m enjoying F1 more than ever. When it gets to the racing, it’s a lot of good fun, especially like in the midfield and how different it is strategy-wise in the races. It’s more like one decision can jump you many places. It’s a different game.”

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Valtteri Bottas 'was almost angry at F1' after racing alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton almost drove former teammate Valtteri Bottas to the brink of retiring from F1 during their time together at Mercedes, the Finn revealed in an interview earlier in the season.

Between 2017 and 2021, the 32-year-old was unable to get the better of Lewis Hamilton, despite being in what was arguably the most dominant car on the F1 grid. This was made most evident by the stats of the pair.

The Briton won four titles, with 50 wins, 42 pole positions, and 78 podiums during the aforementioned five seasons. In contrast, Valtteri Bottas had 10 wins, 20 poles, and 58 podiums. Hamilton also outscored the Finn by nearly 600 points during that period.

During a conversation on the Motor Sport Magazine Podcast, Bottas said:

“At the end of 2018, I almost stopped, it was so close. Just because of the fact that I couldn’t understand and take the fact that I couldn’t beat Lewis [Hamilton] in those two years. I put so much pressure on myself. Towards the end of ’18, especially when I started to have the support role in the team, I really couldn’t take it, I really struggled. It was not fun.”

Bottas then went on to reveal how he got over the disappointment of his first two seasons with Mercedes, adding:

“The human mind is strange in a way that sometimes you go into dark places. You lose the joy in things and I just completely lost the joy of F1 and racing in F1. I was almost angry at F1. It’s weird, but I just needed some time off, and think of the big picture and then I realised that ‘OK, it’s actually a pretty cool sport and I still have great opportunities ahead of me’. So I would be silly not to take them.”

Heading into the 2022 F1 Belgian GP, Valtteri Bottas is currently P8 in the World Drivers' Championship standings with 46 points after 13 rounds of racing. Hamilton is two places above him in P6 with a 100-point lead.