Valtteri Bottas will line-up on the Circuit de Catalunya grid as a Formula 1 winner for the first time in the wake of his recent triumph in Russia, despite the milestone the quiet spoken Finn says life remains the same.
In an interview on the Mercedes website published on the eve of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, Bottas said, “Life didn’t change. I’m still the same guy as when I first raced in a go-kart when I was six. The desire is still there. I still enjoy doing this.”
“But it’s a nice confidence boost and I hope we can build on this momentum from now. I’m glad it came in the first quarter of the year rather than later on because the season goes by quickly. Now, I’m hungry for more…”
“I always knew it was just going to be a matter of time. It took 81 races, so quite a long time in Formula One actually. But it’s not only that – it’s everything that comes before.”
“It’s always been a dream, so to achieve that for the first time feels really good and it made for a lot of great memories. That’s the reward of sport and that’s why I love it. It’s what you work for – and when you get the good results, the feeling is difficult to describe.”
“It took some time to properly realise it. It was a few days before I told myself – Damn, I actually won the race!” he revealed.
Regarding celebrations, Bottas said, “It would be rude not to after your first ever win in Formula One! I actually flew straight to Budapest for an event on the Monday, so no partying on the Sunday… but yeah, I had some fun. There was a bit of a night out… I’m not going to go that much into the details!”
Bottas joins an illustrious list of Finnish F1 winners including Keke Rosberg, Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen and the country’s latest winners inevitably made headlines.
“It was a nice reaction in Finland with all the congratulations,” recalled Bottas. “My emails and phone were blocked because of full message boxes for a while! It’s great to see all the support. But it’s not just this one result. Good times and bad times, there are certain people that always support you, which is good to see.”
As for adding to his tally of one victory, Bottas said, “I reckon this year in Formula One it’s never going to be easy to win, whether it’s your first one, your second one or later on. We have four drivers fighting for pole and for the win every single race, so you need everything absolutely perfect. That’s the excitement.”
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