Alfa Romeo F1 driver Valtteri Bottas is holidaying in New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images
Formula 1 star Valtteri Bottas is making the most of his off-season, soaking up the summer sun Down Under.
The 33-year-old from Finland and his partner, professional cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, have been holidaying in New Zealand this week, visiting the country after spending some time in Australia.
Bottas has been enjoying his time off following his first F1 season with Alfa Romeo, after leaving series heavyweights Mercedes for a fresh opportunity.
A 10-time Grand Prix winner in his five seasons teamed up with Lewis Hamilton, Bottas was always seen as the No 2 driver behind the seven-time world champion but still made his presence felt. His departure to be the lead driver at Alfa Romeo for 2022 and beyond has seen the Finnish driver comfortable in leading a team on the rise, working alongside the only rookie on the grid last year in China’s Zhou Guanyu.
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Bottas finished among the points in nine of the 22 races this season, including seven of the first nine. However, the second half of the season was largely spent looking toward the future for Alfa Romeo, after fellow mid-table battlers such as McLaren and Alpine were able to match, then surpass, their early speed as they applied upgrades to their packages.
Bottas ultimately finished the season 10th in the Drivers’ Championship, while Alfa Romeo finished sixth in the Constructors’ Championship.
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“In this sport, and as a driver, you always think we should have got more. That’s the feeling,” Bottas told GPFans of his team’s season.
“But still, if I take a step back and think about the expectations last year for this year, I think we’d still take it.
“With that feeling we got at the beginning of the year, consistently scoring, sometimes even sixth place, fifth place, you definitely miss that kind of performance.”
The 2023 F1 season being in earnest with pre-testing in late February, before the first Grand Prix of the season in Bahrain in early March.
Did you miss our previous article...
https://formulaone.news/alfa-romeo/audi-set-out-timeline-for-success-as-they-prepare-to-enter-f1
