Bottas is back.
Attention at the first race of 2019 was focused on team changes and new drivers but everyone was upstaged by Valtteri Bottas.
The Mercedes driver was unstoppable. Starting from second on the grid, Bottas glided seamlessly past five-time-world-champion Lewis Hamilton to take victory at the Australian Grand Prix.
This was a long-awaited win, his first since the final race of 2017. Last season was rife with bad luck for Bottas. From his puncture while leading the race in Baku to succumbing to team orders in Sochi, the driver faced repeated setbacks. But after spending last year in his teammate’s shadow, the Finn stole the spotlight in Melbourne.
The transformation didn’t come overnight. One look at the 29-year-old’s social media shows the work he has done over the winter break. Bottas has taken every opportunity to develop his physical and mental approach to the sport.
Securing 26 points in the Drivers’ Championship after running the fastest lap, Bottas’ performance has set the bar for the season. He has come back stronger than ever.
He is not alone. Red Bull demonstrated that they are a force to be reckoned with. Max Verstappen said “we finished where we left off” after taking his sixth consecutive podium since the Japanese Grand Prix. The Dutchman, who has taken the sport by storm since his debut at the age of 17, showed that he will be making a charge at the Championship. This was Red Bull’s first podium with a Honda engine after their fractious breakup with Renault last year. For team principal Christian Horner this is a promising start to the Red Bull-Honda partnership.
The two-horse race between Hamilton and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel may be over. If Melbourne showed us anything, it was that both of these Championship winners face fierce competition from inside their own teams. With Charles Leclerc already applying pressure on the German, both Vettel and Hamilton will be looking to Bahrain to assert their place as number one driver.
Bottas has shown that he will be fighting for the title. While many had written the Finn off as Hamilton’s “wingman”, the driver answered his critics in the most effective way possible. Mercedes may now be facing a challenging season with two drivers battling for supremacy.
Heading towards Bahrain, there is no clear favourite. There is everything to play for in 2019.
Wheels on Fire 77 