When people talk about underrated F1 seasons, one that never comes up is Valtteri Bottas 2021.
Sure, the low moments were there but the highs were also high, Valtteri was incredible in a season dominated by two drivers, a thread🧵
Day 1 of posting 1000 pictures of
@IAm8BitRyan
until he dm's me on twitter...
wait...
that doesn't sound right...
IT'S DAY 1000 BABY WE MADE IT
oh man this has been a journey and a half, if you extend it now I will unsubscribe Ryan, I spent 4 hours on this photoshop :D
Let's respect Carlos Sainz
Two poles in a row against "generational qualifier" teammate Leclerc.
For anyone saying he doesn't deserve his seat, look at the facts.
Day 991 of posting a picture of
@IAm8BitRyan
until he dm's me on twitter, 9 days left, the day is near (I am fully expecting Ryan to forget on day 1000 and I'll go over it)
Day 611 of posting a picture of
@IAm8BitRyan
until he dm's me on twitter, I'm going away for work this week so I won't have my pc (I'll have my laptop still) so the chances of me forgetting to post next week are exponentially higher :D
I'll try my best
@F1Manager
My season results so far! I won a race with Lewis at Miami managing Mercedes (yes I'm writing every result down like this leave me alone I like sheets)
Day 381 of posting a picture of
@IAm8BitRyan
until he dm's me on twitter, first one I've posted from my phone so it's probably bad, just remembered it haha
Day 411 of posting a picture of
@IAm8BitRyan
until he dm's me on twitter, Ryan became Italian for this small amount of time, had to slow it to 0.25x to get this exact screenshot
@Jacksepticeye
Yeah there should be a better system :(
dw though every non-bot still loves your videos, we'll try to make the positive comments overwhelm the negative!
Hi
@IAm8BitRyan
it's me again. I started watching your Days Gone series again and got hit with a lot of nostalgia and you made me wanna play my favourite game again thanks :D
Day 530 of posting a picture of
@IAm8BitRyan
until he dm's me on twitter, COMPLETELY on accident I took this one, fair to say it didn't dissapoint lmao
@rPrequelMemes
It was used in the past but was widely stopped as the Jedi considered it dishonorable and the sith thought of it as a sign of weakness. I thought that was well known I guess not🤷
Turkey was perhaps THE best weekend of Valtteri's career.
Starting from pole after his teammate took a grid penalty, he went on to lead every lap and take fastest lap against a hungry and inform Max Verstappen.
He became the only driver to win purely on pace from the top two.
In Bahrain, Bottas qualified 3rd, exactly where Mercedes needed him. In the race, he was running in a solid 3rd, pitting for Fastest Lap at the end of the race to bring home 16 points compared to Perez's 10.
There was no beating VER or HAM, so this result was ideal for Merc.
@kobayashicore
The ripping Valtteri got for "not performing" at Mercedes even though he drove admirably is still baffling. It's just ignorant to say European drivers don't get hate
@JamesKi20846595
@mercedesxrma
Crossing out a whole different team to make it look like Mercedes in 2020 were on a RB level of dominance now is coping on a different level
Coming into the season, Bottas was coming off a weird 2020 where he performed, but Hamilton was on another level.
People expected Red Bull to challenge going into Bahrain qualifying, a highly rated Perez came into the Red Bull team putting more pressure on Valtteri to perform.
Overall, Valtteri had some lackluster races and bad performances, but to take away 3 pole positions, 2 sprint wins and a race win from a season dominated by two drivers is impeccable.
Was it the best season ever? No. But it sure as hell is an underrated one.
The first high point of the season came in Portugal.
VB took pole position over the two championship contenders, something very few people managed to do over the season. In the race, he finished P3 with fastest lap again with Lewis winning, perfect for Mercedes. 16 points.
In a full season? Norris. His consistancy to be up there constantly makes him win against Leclerc and Russell would it be over a full season. In a singular race probably Charles.
Time to torture myself again watching this series back; the game still scares the absolute crap out of me but I love the series still lmao, one of the few horror series I rewatch ever
@mercsogyny
"Low moments were there" a few bad performances do not define a season while he was good most races and lost a shit ton of points due to bad luck or strategy😭😭
Another pole in Monza, combined with a sprint win. Could have won the main race as well if not for an engine penalty and still finishing P3, Bottas was incredibly strong in Monza.
Spain is yet another P3 in qualifying and P3 in the race.
Best of the rest putting 28 seconds to 4th place Leclerc while Hamilton and Verstappen duke it out at the top. 15 points.
Imola is the first of Bottas's few bad performances this season.
Qualifying only 8th, and being taken out in the race by George. It's bad performances like this that make people think the season wasn't good, but the high points are still coming.
There's a reason Mercedes won the constructors championship and that reason is Valtteri outperforming Checo.
Being best of the rest as consistantly as he was and losing big points due to mistakes of the team. In terms of underrated seasons, this is the one people overlook most.
Saudi was Valtteri's final podium for Mercedes. Qualifying P2, lost track position to Verstappen due to the red flag. Got P3 on the line from Esteban Ocon, a true fighters drive and a perfect way to cap off his Mercedes stint. 15 points.