Bottas hopes rally outing helps him avoid errors

RaceFans Round-up

Posted on

| Written by

In the round-up: Valtteri Bottas says his outing the Arctic Lapland Rally earlier this year should help him avoid making mistakes early in the season.

What they say

RaceFans asked Bottas, who crashed in the first qualifying session of last year, whether he intends to do more rallies in the future.

It was good fun, I really enjoyed the experience. It was kind of fun and kind of on-purpose to do something different and to drive. For me it was great training as well because over two days the rally last you need to concentrate, you can’t do any mistakes if you want to finish. That’s something normally that’s difficult to train and you might end up doing mistakes in winter testing or the first races if you haven’t been driving much.

So with the testing, with the racing, it was good to do some racing. Long-term it’s quite tricky to say. My mindset is in Formula 1 but I truly enjoyed it and immediately [after] the rally I said it’s not going to be my last one. So this I can guarantee but let’s take it day by day, season by season then we’ll see it. But never say never.

Quotes: Dieter Rencken

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Social media

Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Comment of the day

@Geemac explains how F1 teams explain who’s quickest:

After testing: It’s too early to tell, let’s wait for Melbourne.
After Melbourne: It’s too early to tell, let’s see where we are after five races.
After five races: It’s too early to tell, let’s see where we are at mid-season.
After mid-season: It’s been a good season so far, but there is a long way to go so lets see closer to the end of the season.
With five races to go: It’s been a good season so far, but there is a long way to go.
Once the final race has ended: Team X has clearly been fastest since the car first ran in testing.
@Geemac

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Patrickl and Chapmankillie!

If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is via the contact form or adding to the list here.

On this day in F1

On this day in 1976 James Hunt won a thrilling Race of Champions at Brands Hatch. However the BBC famously cancelled its live coverage of the race, unwilling to broadcast pictures of the Durex logos on Alan Jones’s Surtees.

Jones forged his way into the lead early on, passing Gunnar Nilsson’s Lotus. He was in turn passed by Jody Scheckter, who had started from pole position, but the Tyrrell driver spun off.

Hunt moved his way towards the front of the pack, aided by championship rival Niki Lauda retiring his Ferrari and John Watson spinning off in his Penske. Halfway through the race Hunt dived down the inside of Jones, snatched the lead and was on course for his first victory at the wheel of a McLaren. Jones came in second and of Jacky Ickx in a Hesketh.

Hunt also took fastest lap but this earned no point; nor did any of the finishing positions, as this was a non-championship F1 race, one of a dwindling number held in the seventies and eighties until the last, at the same venue in 1983.

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

18 comments on “Bottas hopes rally outing helps him avoid errors”

  1. While I appreciate the effort that Stefan Johansson has put into his document I find it contradictory, containing poorly conceived suggestions/ideas around topics that need a team of experts to unpick. It’s fanciful at best. He uses the phrase “for sure” right at the beginning, which sort of set the tone.

    I look forward to Ross Brawn & team’s professional and researched design for 2021 and beyond.

    1. Ross brawn’s design may be professional and well researched but it is also going to be watered down compromise based on what the mercedes and ferrari want.

  2. they say they are not looking at introducing gimmicks yet they just introduced points for fastest lap and have made the drs a lot more powerful for this year so the words do not match the actions.

    i just do not trust them right now and until i see an f1 without any silly artificial gimmicks i shall continue to be sceptical about the 2021 future and liberty’s plans going forward.

    as to the launch event, cool for those who are into it but i do not like these sorts of things. i am here for the track action and that’s it, all the pomp and circumstance surrounding it (especially under liberty) i really couldn’t care less about.
    for the record not saying they should not do it, i am just saying it isn’t for me as it’s not what i’m here to see.

  3. Rip Charlie

    1. petebaldwin (@)
      14th March 2019, 1:55

      Oh wow…. That’s awful news.

      Thanks Charlie for the incredible effort and passion you gave to F1. You’ll be hugely missed. I can’t imagine how the drivers will feel having to sit through the 1st drivers briefing without you. :(

    2. Whoa, that is very sad, my commiserations to his family!

    3. I never thought I’d miss drivers moaning to charlie…..

      The season will certainly start under a cloud.

  4. Did anyone else find the launch pretty inane?

    It just seemed to stumble along. The only saving grace was that it was held in Melbourne where thousands will turn out for any “sporting” event which probably made it look more successful that I felt it was.

    1. Cringe-fest start to finish. Presenters didn’t know whether they were coming or going. Hamilton was scared of the crowd. Kvyat had no spacial awareness.

      Raikkonen and Bottas were like, “We Finnish. Let’s get outta here.” and didn’t even stick around for the selfie that I’m sure is photoshopped because Webber spent about 10 minutes trying work it.

      Up there with the USGP intros a couple of years ago.

  5. Going to be a sombre first race this year.
    RIP Charlie.

    1. Puts quite a damper on having fun this weekend, doesn’t it. Godspeed Charlie

  6. Very sad to hear about Charlie Whiting’s sudden death, it’s difficult to imagine a Formula 1 weekend without his presence. Condolences to his family.

  7. “Verstappen: ‘Stupid not to believe I can’t beat Hamilton and Vettel’” . Reading the article, I can confirm that there is one negation too many in that headline.

    1. Yeah, it took me three reads to get there, heh.

  8. so versap believes he cant beat vettel and hami…maybe he shud take his own advise and stay home😂

    1. Von Smallhausen (@engelbertvonsmallhausen)
      14th March 2019, 8:54

      English?

  9. Regarding the COTD: So true, LOL.

    I think it ‘Make racing great again’ would be a better way to put it.

Comments are closed.