"Everything is perfect" - Valtteri Bottas on the mental and physical gains he has made this winter

Valtteri Bottas has gone through an extreme physical and mental training program this winter. Bottas split his training between Finland and Monaco to adjust to varying temperatures. He believes this can help him unlock more performance.

Following the unveiling of the new Mercedes 2021 challenger, Valtteri Bottas said he felt much better prepared to contend for the title in 2021.

Winter training, dream race track, pineapple on pizza, and more! 😎 @ValtteriBottas answers YOUR questions ahead of the new 2021 @F1 season! 🏁

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 6, 2021

Speaking about his time in the off-season, Valtteri Bottas said in this regard:

“I had the right amount of time off, and then I’ve had another good block of physical training, and from that side of things, I’m feeling very strong.”

When speaking specifically about his mental preparations, Bottas explained:

“The same thing mentally, it feels like everything is in a good balance in my life, and I’ve been enjoying now being here, busy with the team and preparing for the season, and for now, everything is perfect.

“Of course it was not like a pure holiday, it’s also hard work trying to build your fitness and everything. But I managed to do a lot of things that make me happy.

Speaking about his extreme temperature training, he claimed:

“There was lots of winter training, pretty extreme training as well, trying to maintain the Finnish ‘Sisu’ attitude, and doing things that make you tough, basically. It’s been good.”

Being prepared mentally has become an increasingly important part of the sport. It takes a strong mentality to recover from bad weekends and performances. It also takes considerable mental fortitude to perform when it matters the most, which is what the Finn will need to do in order to challenge Hamilton for the title. Bottas said:

"A lot of the work and focus for me this season is the mental side of things, I’m trying to be mentally at my best at the Grand Prix, and trying to find the right way of approaching every single Grand Prix weekend, and to try and find more often the ‘flow’ state."

One for the ‘Gram. 📲🔥 Who can blame VB when W12 looks 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 good! pic.twitter.com/Y3fwlzAVLr

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 5, 2021

When asked about the details of his preparations, Valtteri Bottas didn't divulge much, saying:

"Sorry to be boring and not too informative, but that’s something that I prefer not to answer. It’s my private matter, and also don't want to share all the techniques."

"As I said before, it’s something that I have paid more focus on over the winter, and will pay more focus on during the season, and if I need help, then I’ll use some professional help. If not, then I’ll use the mirror."

2021 is crucial for Valtteri Bottas

The 2020 season was another letdown for Valtteri Bottas as he struggled yet again to match Lewis Hamilton, his illustrious teammate. What was particularly damning, however, was George Russell's performance in the same car at the Sakhir Grand Prix.

Mercedes is likely to produce another championship-winning car this year. Valtteri Bottas needs to perform much better in his role, or he runs the risk of being replaced by George Russell.