FAR FROM FINNISHED

Bottas says he’s got years left in F1 as he eyes a return to the grid

- EXCLUSIVE BY DANIEL MOXON

VALTTERI BOTTAS insists “I've got a good few years in me” as he eyes a return to the Formula One grid.

The Finn, 35, lost his place last December after three years at Sauber, with new parent company Audi wanting to pick its own racers.

So he returned as a reserve to Mercedes, where he previously spent five years as Lewis Hamilton's team-mate and won 10 races.

But he’s already fed up with being on the sidelines. “The first race was probably the hardest,” he said.

“I miss giving it all out there in the qualifying, being on the limit. I miss the racing as a whole.

“It's like, ‘Damn, I just want to be out there’. To me that confirms that I still feel like I’ve got a good few years of racing in me.