Valtteri Bottas has revealed that five seasons alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes pushed him to the brink of retirement, describing depression, burnout and a winter in 2019 when he had decided to quit. He traces deeper struggles back to a 2014 eating disorder, credits therapy and support for his recovery, and says he's now the happiest and best version of himself after returning to F1 with Cadillac.
Bottas admits near-retirement after being Mercedes' "wingman" to Hamilton
Valtteri Bottas says the emotional cost of serving as Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate at Mercedes nearly ended his F1 career. The Finn describes a winter break before the 2019 season when he decided to retire, admitting depression and burnout after repeatedly sacrificing results to support Hamilton’s championship bid.
What Bottas said — blunt and unvarnished
Bottas laid out a candid timeline: an early-career eating disorder in 2014, years of pressure climbing the F1 ladder, then the psychological toll of being the perceived number two at Mercedes. He recounts walking three hours through deep snow and emerging with a renewed mindset, but also admits the experience left him "hating racing" and reading damaging social media commentary.
Mental health, team orders and the human cost
This is more than a personal confession; it’s a reminder that team dynamics and enforced roles can have long-term consequences. Team orders are a strategic tool in F1, but Bottas’ account shows how being asked repeatedly to yield can corrode confidence and enjoyment. For a driver who came into Mercedes from Williams with momentum, the cost was significant — mentally and professionally.
Why this matters for teams and drivers
High-performance teams must balance collective goals with individual welfare. Mercedes, Toto Wolff and other outfits now operate in an environment where public scrutiny and social media amplify pressure. Bottas’ story should nudge teams to make welfare and psychological support a core element of driver management, not an afterthought.
Recovery, perspective and the long arc of Bottas' career
Bottas credits therapy and support with pulling him out of the darkest period. He links his 2014 struggles — a serious eating disorder that left him physically and mentally depleted — to later moments of self-loathing and near-collapse. The intervention and work he did to recover underline the importance of sustained psychological care across a driver's career.
From Sauber to Cadillac: a renewed outlook
After a spell at Sauber and a brief time away from the grid, Bottas returned to F1 with Cadillac’s new project. He says he’s "the happiest I’ve ever been, and the best driver I’ve ever been," calling the Melbourne season opener a career highlight. That optimism matters: a motivated driver can accelerate a young manufacturer’s learning curve even when the car is not yet competitive.
Cadillac's challenge and Bottas' role
Cadillac enters F1 with high expectations but a work-in-progress car. Scoring points in the early phases of a new project is difficult; the technical and developmental gulf to the established frontrunners remains substantial. Bottas’ experience and renewed hunger are a clear asset for Cadillac as it tries to fast-track competitiveness in a brutally unforgiving sport.
What could happen next
If Bottas maintains his current mindset, he can be both a stabilising influence and a benchmark for Cadillac. For Mercedes and other teams, his revelations may prompt stronger, more public commitments to driver welfare and clearer management of intra-team roles. For F1 as a whole, the episode adds weight to ongoing conversations about mental health, workload and the human side of elite performance.
Final take
Valtteri Bottas’ honesty is a wake-up call: talent and trophies don’t inoculate a driver from psychological harm.
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His recovery and current form with Cadillac are encouraging, but the sport should treat his experience as evidence that supporting drivers mentally is as vital as developing the next aerodynamic upgrade.
The Sun
