Bottas: I Was Wondering Why Rosberg Retired, Now I Understand

Former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas has revealed he understands why Nico Rosberg suddenly retired from Formula 1 at the end of 2016.

Bottas, who will drive for Alfa Romeo in 2022, failed to beat Lewis Hamilton during their five seasons as teammates and suggested the mental strain from being beaten every weekend proved problematic

"I remember Lewis and Nico fighting very hard with each other and it even became a bit political," Bottas said on Talking About Me.

"But when I arrived at Mercedes, I wondered why Nico suddenly stopped. But now I can identify with him. I can say from experience that it's not easy. If you feel like there is a knife in your throat, then the mind doesn't always work correctly."

Using a sauna to recover

Bottas was never able to threaten Hamilton, despite winning 10 races and standing on the podium on 58 occasions for Mercedes. The 32-year-old also revealed he used a sauna at home to mentally recover between races.

"The sauna is a sacred place for me," said Bottas. "Fun things happen, and yes, alcohol is involved sometimes, not so much to get rid of the pressure, but to clear your mind and relax for the next race weekend.

"Sometimes it has worked, sometimes it didn't."

Joining Alfa Romeo

Bottas insists his switch from Mercedes to Alfa Romeo has nothing to do with the mental tole he took during his time at the Silver Arrows.

"It's not because of that," said Bottas. "This is the right time in my career, starting my 10th year in F1.

"So to have responsibility and to be able to really make a difference is great. I can say that I have laughed and smiled much more since I made the Alfa Romeo announcement. That's a fact. [My] well-being has improved to different levels in all aspects."

How Hamilton's championship loss cost Bottas

Bottas' final race for Mercedes was overshadowed by the controversial finale to the 2021 season, when Hamilton lost the title to Max Verstappen on the last lap of the Abu Dhabi GP.

Hamilton's failure to become champion robbed Bottas of a large financial bonus.

"That singular lap did cost me a few millions yes," added Bottas. "Luckily, I hadn't bought anything with that money, but Mercedes found a way to pay me back so to say.

"They gave me my 2017 first F1 win car, I just have no place to put it for now. I don't really measure money because at some point, a moment came when there was no need to look at the bank balance anymore.

"Money is, of course, a big issue in F1, but I remember where I came from and I've done pretty well."

Trading with Toto Wolff

Bottas has always shared a strong relationship with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. When Bottas was at Williams, he was managed by the Austrian.

The Finn says he was not offered a contract extension to remain at Mercedes for 2022, and didn't want to enter negotiations with Wolff.

"Certainly after negotiating with Toto, it's been a good learning [curve] that will definitely help me in my life even after my F1 career," added Bottas.