Valtteri Bottas said he "needed" to leave Mercedes for a new challenge after experiencing "a bit of a dip" in terms of his love for Formula 1.
After impressing with Williams, he was given the chance to drive for a top team when he replaced Nico Rosberg after the German's 2016 championship success. In doing so, he became the latest in a long line of F1 drivers to earn the 'Flying Finn' moniker.
His record of 10 race wins and 58 podiums over five years with the Silver Arrows is nothing to be sniffed at. It becomes all the more impressive when you factor in the fact he had to compete with Lewis Hamilton the whole time.
But it really was a difficult time for Bottas, as he has spoken about before. He was never offered more than a one-year deal by Mercedes, meaning he never had the security he craved, while the difficulty of trying to shine alongside Hamilton almost made him quit the sport at the end of the 2018 campaign.
Expanding on his experience in a new interview, the Alfa Romeo driver said he was now "enjoying racing a lot" and finds the project, to which he is committed in a multi-year deal, "rewarding". He told Crash : "I think [the move] was needed for me. I definitely needed something new, a new environment, new targets, new people around me.
"When I started F1, of course everything was super exciting and you feel like you want to do this forever. Then for sure, in terms of the love for the sport, at some point, I had a bit of a dip. But now I feel like it's definitely back. If you asked me today, how long would I want to drive? I'd say forever. I'm really, really enjoying it."
That certainly comes across easily, even in the way he has carried himself this season. Gone are the worry lines that were often etched across his face when wearing Mercedes apparel, and we have certainly seen a much different side to Bottas on social media.
His personalised bucket hats have not gone unnoticed, especially when wearing them in the F1 paddock. But most meme-worthy was the photo that went viral of the Finn swimming with his bare bottom on display – something about which he has no regrets.
"I really don't care nowadays what people think of me and I just want to try and make the most out of my life and have fun," Bottas added. "I feel like I'm less in the mould of a typical F1 driver. I also feel like my work-life balance is in a pretty good balance, so I can just be who I am and have a bit of fun as well."
