Bad season not all Bottas’ fault - Salo

Former F1 driver Mika Salo has defended Valtteri Bottas at the end of a bad season for his fellow Finn.

Many are questioning Bottas’ psychological state, after a disappointing season for the Mercedes driver and the looming threat tis race seat posed for 2020 by Esteban Ocon.

Some believe Bottas is being too openly critical of his own level of underperformance.

"I think it’s ok to say it out loud," Salo told Finland’s MTV.

"At least he has identified what were the weak points for him and will work in the winter so that they are not there next year," he added.

"Valtteri has no choice but to reset completely and start again next year.

"Pretty much everything went wrong this year," Salo continued. "Baku was really bad. If not for what happened he would have led the championship and who knows how the season would have gone after that."

Salo said Baku is just one example of how 2018 was not all Bottas’ fault.

"There were so many little things that were just bad luck, not anything that Valtteri did badly. But they surely affected him on the mental side pretty badly," he said.