Valtteri Bottas has labelled his first season at Mercedes as "disappointing", despite claiming three Formula One victories and dominating the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Bottas joined the reigning world champions as Nico Rosberg's replacement, following the German's shock retirement just days after clinching his maiden F1 title in 2016. The Finn enjoyed a competitive start to life at the German manufacturer, picking up two pole positions and two race wins as he headed into the summer break looking like a serious championship challenger.
But a poor patch of form following the summer break, coupled with a strong end to 2017 from Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton -- who took five victories from the final nine races of the campaign -- saw Bottas' title hopes evaporate as he was forced to settle with third place in the standings behind Hamilton and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.