Valtteri Bottas has struggled to make an impact in his return to Formula 1 with Cadillac. The Finnish driver has failed to score a single point this season, with his highest finish coming at the Chinese Grand Prix with a P13.
What happened?
Bottas made his comeback to the grid this season after a year-long hiatus as Mercedes' reserve driver. He was snatched up by the General-Motors-backed project to fill its ranks with experience alongside Red Bull exile Sergio Perez.
The 10-time Grand Prix winner has found it tough to get going, with setup inconsistencies and a lack of confidence in the car hindering his performance. Bottas detailed how these issues have meant that things haven’t really “come my way yet”.
Why it matters for Valtteri Bottas
The gap in performance between Bottas and Perez has prompted reports suggesting the team may be looking to offload the Finnish driver. Team Principal Graeme Lowdon has denied these rumors, but Bottas is aware he needs to step up his game.
Bottas has a 2-5 deficit to Perez in the intra-team head-to-head in both qualifying and races run so far. The Mexican driver has fared far better in the other garage, leaving Bottas with a lot of work to do to close the gap.
What comes next?
Bottas will be hoping to make amends for Cadillac at the Red Bull Ring this weekend for the Austrian GP – a track where he last stood on pole in 2020. He is really hoping that now they get into a better flow, a better rhythm, understand the issues they’ve been having with the car better, and go from there.
So, it’s still a long way to go for Valtteri Bottas, who is looking to turn his season around and start scoring points for Cadillac. With seven rounds into F1’s latest era, Bottas has a lot of ground to make up if he wants to make an impact this season.
Bottas said he hasn’t spent that much time on track, which hasn’t helped his cause. But he is looking to change that and get into a better rhythm, starting with the Austrian GP. The Finnish driver will be looking to draw on his past experience at the Red Bull Ring to get his season back on track.
The Austrian GP will be a crucial test for Bottas, who needs to start scoring points soon if he wants to keep his seat at Cadillac. With Perez outperforming him so far, Bottas knows he has to raise his game if he wants to stay ahead of the Mexican driver.
Bottas has the talent and experience to turn his season around, but he needs to start delivering results soon. The Finnish driver will be looking to make a statement at the Austrian GP and show that he still has what it takes to compete at the highest level.
The next few races will be key for Bottas, who needs to start scoring points consistently if he wants to make an impact this season. With the Austrian GP just around the corner, Bottas will be looking to get his season back on track and start challenging for points