06 February 2023 , 14:21
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Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas has bravely opened up about his struggles with what he branded an 'eating disorder' early on in his career, before he then got help from a psychologist.
Bottas officially joined the grid in 2013, with Williams promoting him from reserve driver to a full-time seat after Bruno Senna was dropped. However, Bottas struggled, stating that exercise and eating became an "addiction" for him as he tried to lose 6kg and reach the weight his bosses demanded.
Speaking to Finnish journalist Maria Veitola, Bottas revealed he lived off an unhealthy diet of steamed broccoli and hid his struggles from those close to him. "I trained myself to pain, physically and mentally," he revealed.
"No eating disorder was officially diagnosed, but it was definitely there. It wasn't very healthy. I wanted to be the best, and I thought I had to do that. If the team says that I have to weigh 68 kilos and I naturally weigh 73 kilos, then they will do everything for that."
After the tragic death of Jules Bianchi - a former F3 team-mate of his - who passed away in 2015 following a horrific crash during the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, Bottas decided to seek help from a psychologist.
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"I needed a psychologist to help me recover, whose first assessment of me was that I'm almost like a robot who only wants to reach his goal and has no feelings at all," he explained. "It startled me. It's true that at that time I had no other life than F1."
Bottas sought help from a psychologist to help him recover (Getty Images)Bottas also told Veitola that he spoke with a psychologist during the 2021 season as he weighed up his future in the sport, with the 33-year-old ultimately leaving Mercedes after five seasons and joining Alfa Romeo.
"That season was more difficult again, when the future was on the line and I didn't know which team I would drive for," he added. "It was a big threshold to ask for outside help.
"That's what you think when you're such a tough guy that you don't need help, that I can take care of things by looking in the mirror. But a professional knows how to ask the right questions and open a lot of locks. I'm not the only one there who sometimes has a hard time."