Formula 1: To whom it may concern…

Valtteri Bottas’s “To whom it may concern…” line tends to be a feel-good story in Formula 1. But that’s the very problem with it.

“To whom it may concern, f*** you.”

Formula 1 fans across the world all heard Valtteri Bottas say it two Sundays ago, just as he’s done in the past after taking the checkered flag.

Here is what he said, in full: “Ha ha yeah! F*** yeah! I mean, again, it’s a nice moment to thank my critics: To whom it may concern, f*** you.”

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He most notably used the line when he won the 2019 season-opening Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, following a 2018 season that saw him finish without a single victory while teammate Lewis Hamilton won 11 race and yet another world championship.

The 31-year-old Mercedes driver has embraced every moment when he has had the opportunity to prove the haters wrong and win a Grand Prix, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

As an athlete at the top level of his sport, he, like anyone in his position, is the subject of frequent doubt and criticism, and having the opportunity to shut up the haters can be a beautiful thing.

Here is what he said about it after the race, according to ESPN.

"“I just don’t get the people who have the need to criticize other people. You know, there’s been people telling me that I should not bother, I should give up, but how I am, I will never do that, so I just wanted to, again, send my best wishes to them.“It [the radio message] just came out, you know? But the main thing is I’m confident, when I come to every race weekend, I’m confident and I believe I can do it, and that’s how I’m always going to be. You have to have that mindset, so yeah, I’m glad.”"

But given the position that Bottas is in, the fact that this needs to be said in itself is a big issue that does not bode well for the Finn. In his position, he should be fighting for a lot more than a “feel-good story”.

So to whom it may concern…here are a few key things to note about Bottas’s success and why the “To whom it may concern…” line is ironic, in that it is, in fact, quite rare.

1. Lewis Hamilton was robbed

Justifiably, but still robbed. Bottas had nobody to race en route to his first win in nearly three months.

Hamilton, who started from the pole position and began to drove away from Bottas like he usually does, was issued two five-second penalties for pre-race infractions involving practice starts. As such, he was never in contention to win the race he had won twice in a row and four times in six attempts.

This race was, quite literally, over before it started.

2. Mercedes literally own Sochi Autodrom

Bottas’s win came at a track where Mercedes have never lost. They are now seven for seven at the 18-turn, 3.634-mile (5.848-kilometer) Sochi Autodrom road course in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia. Their package dominates there, plain and simple.

Even a second place finish behind Max Verstappen of Red Bull would have been an embarrassment. With Hamilton out of contention, he had nobody to beat.

3. Mercedes literally own Formula 1 in general

The six-time and soon-to-be seven-time reigning driver and constructor champions have now won 97 races since the V6 turbo hybrid era began at the start of the 2014 season. Only 131 races have been contested since then (74.05% winning percentage).

With two cars in the field, is finishing first place in what tends to be a two-car race — especially as rarely as Bottas does — really “proving the doubters wrong”, or is it doing what he should be doing a lot more often than he does it — you know, the whole reason he is doubted as much as he is to begin with?

4. Tying a driver who retired four years ago

After 73 starts for the Silver Arrows, Bottas finally tied Nico Rosberg in Mercedes wins since 2016. The problem? Rosberg retired after 2016. He won nine races in the 2016 season for a winning percentage of 42.86%.

Bottas has won nine races since replacing him, giving him a win percentage of 12.33%. Hamilton’s win percentage since the 2017 season began as his teammate? 50.68%. Hamilton’s win percentage this year is 60%, compared to Bottas’s 20%.

While Bottas proving the haters wrong when he is able to win a race can be seen as a feel-good story, the fact that he is still in the business of “proving people wrong” every once in a great while despite driving for the undisputed top team in the sport over the last seven years makes his go-to phrase quite ironic.