Valtteri Bottas, in what has been a rare sight this season, finished the race ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen took home an even rarer race victory.

There have been calls to ax him because of his inability to challenge his extraordinary teammate consistently at Mercedes. Hence, outclassing him thoroughly over this weekend will bring him some respite amidst the mounting pressure.

And, in a message to his doubters, though not quite like the ‘F**k you’ in Australia last year, he said, “I think this weekend, it was positive, you know, from my own performance-wise.

“And yeah, also being able to beat Lewis. It’s always a good thing to remind others that I can do it!”

The Finn was lining up on the front row with Max. However, he could not overtake him at the start of the race, which was crucial to winning the race.

It’s tricky to overtake in Abu Dhabi, and a brief safety car period nullified their race strategies too. Assessing the season finale in the desert, he said, “I think for me personally that was a really solid race.

“The start was good, obviously, it’s really a short run into turn one. So couldn’t do much and with the safety car quite early on, it meant that strategy was the same for everyone. So not many opportunities and Red Bull was too quick today.”

Can Valtteri Bottas beat Hamilton next season?

The former Williams driver has been with the team for the past 4 seasons. However, he has never truly been able to mount a proper title challenge against Lewis.

However, he made it clear that he does not intend to play second fiddle to him next season. “I am ready to get some rest and a good reset and try again.”

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Honestly, it will need a miracle for him to get his hands on the Drivers’ title. His teammate is in exquisite form and will be motivated to capture a record-breaking 8th title next season.

With the shadow of George Russell looming over his race seat, he can expect next season with the ‘Silver Arrows’ to be his last if he fails to prove his worth to the Brackley-based outfit.