GREATEST RACE: Valtteri Bottas on the day he turned anger into ‘perfection’ with a drive that still gives him goosebumps

Valtteri Bottas entered the 2019 campaign looking to right the wrongs of a challenging second term at Mercedes that saw him place a win-less fifth in the standings while team mate Lewis Hamilton charged to another world title. But anyone who doubted the Finn would soon be in for a surprise, with a new-and-improved ‘Bottas 2.0’ fighting back in style at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. In the latest instalment of our Greatest Race series, he shares his vivid memories of that special weekend…

A rollercoaster ride for Bottas at Mercedes

It was shortly after his fourth season at Williams that Bottas’s phone buzzed with an unexpected opportunity. Nico Rosberg had just shocked the F1 world by retiring from the sport as the newly-crowned champion and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff needed someone to fill the seat.