Bottas confident he will become F1 champion

Valtteri Bottas is confident he will be crowned Formula 1 world champion in his career and hopes a positive start to the season will help him achieve his goal in 2018. The Mercedes man sits third in the drivers' standings after three races.

Crashing in qualifying gave the Finn an inauspicious start to the season as he finished eighth in Australia, but back-to-back second-place finishes leave him 14 points off championship leader Sebastian Vettel.

Bottas caught flak for failing to make a last-lap move stick on Vettel in Bahrain, but he proved his racing instincts remained sharp with an impressive performance in Shanghai, only to have victory snatched by Daniel Ricciardo thanks to Red Bull's quick-thinking strategy.

Although his future prospects at the Silver Arrows could ultimately be affected by Ricciardo's future plans - Mercedes are reportedly keen on the Australian if he leaves Red Bull at the end of the year - Bottas is certain he will taste the ultimate success in F1.

"Hopefully this year," Bottas said of his title prospects. "For me, it's the only goal in my career. But I take no pressure from it, I just work hard.

"I enjoy what I do because always when I enjoy it that's when I drive the quickest, I feel. One day it [the title] will come.

"When I was a kid I only dreamed of being a world champion, so I'm still chasing that dream."

Four-time world champion Lewis Hamilton provides Bottas with a fine example to follow. The Brit has been both a help and inspiration to the former Williams man since his move to Brackley.

"I've got to know Lewis really well. He's a really quick driver, obviously, but also a really nice guy," Bottas said.

"Driving-wise what I've learned from Lewis is you can learn all kinds of details, different tracks, different racing lines, different driving styles, ways of setting up the car, being quick – it's fine details.

"I'm always willing to learn and he's very experienced, but I've seen nothing comes for free. He works hard and he's a team player."