Valtteri Bottas says his brutally honest Players\u2019 Tribune column was written so others could learn from the hard lessons that shaped his Formula 1 career.<\/p>\n
The Cadillac driver wrote an emotional column about his struggles with his weight during his time with Williams, and how even today he has \u201ccomplicated feelings\u201d about his wingman role at Mercedes.<\/p>\n
Valtteri Bottas explains Players\u2019 Tribune column<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n It was honest, and it was brutal.<\/p>\n Speaking about his weight issues, the Finn wrote in a column for Players\u2019 Tribune<\/a>: \u201cI was like a drug addict. \u201cI\u2019ve never felt better!\u201d Ha. Completely delusional. The actual reason I was waking up so early was that my body was in starvation mode.\u201d<\/p>\n He was dealt another blow by the crash that cost his former teammate Jules Bianchi his life at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, writing: \u201cWhen I was back home, I was just so angry and negative about everything, and I remember my ex asking me if I ever worry when I\u2019m in the car, because it\u2019s so dangerous. I said, \u201cNo. If I die, I die.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt that moment, I realised that I genuinely did not care what happened to me anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n It was only through seeking help from a psychologist that Bottas<\/a> could finally admit he was \u201cunwell\u201d and work on himself to become a healthier person.<\/p>\n And then came the Mercedes call-up.<\/p>\n More on Valtteri Bottas from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Valtteri Bottas opens up on how he nearly quit F1 over Lewis Hamilton wingman role<\/a><\/p>\n Valtteri Bottas\u2019 race-used Cadillac F1 helmet heads to auction<\/a><\/p>\n Bottas joined the team in 2017, but found himself in a number two position to Lewis Hamilton with Toto Wolff calling him a \u201csensational wingman\u201d while James Vowles delivered that \u201cValtteri, it\u2019s James\u201d line. <\/p>\n \u201cSometimes, you are told by your bosses that it\u2019s a team sport, and you should slow down and move aside,\u201d wrote Bottas. \u201cDo you know how badly I wanted to just say no? But I had to be a good team-mate. I let him through, and of course he had an incredible season. <\/p>\n \u201cHe was the champion. I was \u201cthe wingman\u201d.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI have no bad blood with Mercedes or Toto or anyone. But the whole situation almost made me walk away from the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n It brought back \u201cthe negative Valtteri, the obsessive Valtteri\u201d, with the Finn drawing on his past experience to fight back from that and come back stronger. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m still crazy,\u201d he declared. \u201cI still obsess over all of this. I still think I\u2019m the best driver on the grid. But now I have a little bit of perspective to go with it. I can appreciate it all more.\u201d<\/p>\n Bottas was quizzed about the column when he spoke with the media ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. <\/p>\n He explained it was just an honest account of his life in racing from his karting days until today in the hope that someone may learn from his lessons without having to go through it themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s important to highlight that we\u2019re all humans and no one is perfect. Everyone has their struggles or has their issues,\u201d Bottas told PlanetF1.com and other media.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully somebody can learn from other people\u2019s mistakes than doing it all yourself. <\/p>\n \u201cPart of life is learning about your mistakes. Of course, part of the life is learning about your mistake, but it\u2019s always good to, I think looking at other examples or other people\u2019s mistakes to kind of try and prevent them.\u201d<\/p>\n Bottas\u2019 column was met with applause from fans on social media, who called it inspiring and amazing.<\/p>\n The 36-year-old had yet to read the responses, but he hopes the article shows others there are resources available and the stigma surrounding mental health has changed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s actually the first time I\u2019m talking about it, because I only shared it yesterday on social media,\u201d he said. \u201cI haven\u2019t checked on it, the comments so I don\u2019t know. <\/p>\n \u201cSeems like people are interested.<\/p>\n \u201cBut yeah, just for me it was a nice way to share my story and share some of my things from my journey.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI think the whole sport has evolved a lot. Everything is more professional. <\/p>\n \u201cI think also when it comes to coaching, physical coaching, mental coaching, I think that level has gone up. So I think there is more support available. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s better packages for drivers when it comes to mental coaches and stuff like that. So yeah, even that side of the sport has improved.<\/p>\n \u201c15 years ago versus now, I think people are less afraid of seeking for help, seeking for support, because these things are now talked about more.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Thomas Maher<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n