Wolff praises Bottas for season recovery

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has praised the way in which Valtteri Bottas pulled himself out of a mid-season slump during 2017, and believes the increase in fortunes for the Finn are down to 'personal improvements' made on the track in a 'diva' of a vehicle.

Following the summer break, Bottas endured a tough time and only managed two podium places in six races while his team-mate Lewis Hamilton claimed the flag in five out of six, which propelled the Englishman towards eventually claiming the world championship.

The final three races saw Bottas improve drastically and he went on to secure two podium spots, two poles, and a Grand Prix victory in Abu Dhabi. Wolff has praised his driver for pulling himself out of the downturn.

“I think carrying all of the momentum with a race win through the winter after a difficult time is probably for him just what the doctor ordered,” Wolff said.

“The best ones are the ones that recover from bad moments.

“Maybe in a few years and say this was an important moment for his racing. The only thing we can do as a racing team is to stay transparent and fair to both of them. But eventually they are alone in the car. He pulled himself out of it.”

Wolff went on to claim that Bottas never allowed the slump to get the better of him and revealed some of the tireless work that went into improving behind the scenes, particularly on working with the 'diva' Mercedes W08 F1 car.

“I could never see visually that it was impacting him. He said that [it did] but I think with the strength of his character he tracked back,” he continued.

“Every race there was better performances. Brazil qualifying was good, the race less so. But he knew that. Then he delivered an exceptional weekend in Abu Dhabi.”