It was the year 2017 when it looked like Valtteri Bottas was embarking on a championship-winning mission. However, little did he know that Mercedes had other ideas, as they very often considered him as a mere wingman to Lewis Hamilton rather than a championship contender.
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But, that wasn’t the only factor that was holding up Bottas’ true performance; There were one too many drawbacks about the Mercedes-Bottas partnership. For instance, the Finnish driver, who embraced an impressive stint with Williams, never managed to sign a multi-year deal with the Brackley outfit.
Formula One F1 – Mexico Grand Prix – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico – November 6, 2021 Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas celebrates pole position pool via REUTERS/Francisco Guasco
Bottas did pull off a decent debut campaign with Mercedes, but Toto Wolff and co. refrained from offering him anything more than a one-year deal. And this wasn’t just the case for the 2018 season but for the three years that followed.
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Hence, Bottas always had to race with the fear of potentially losing his seat to another driver. Now, after finding himself as the lead driver of Alfa Romeo, Bottas has finally opened up that he had demanded Wolff a multi-year deal until the end of 2023. But, when Mercedes rejected his demands, Bottas gave up his prestigious seat.
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What did Valtteri Bottas say?
As reported by Formule1, Bottas revealed that he considered leaving Mercedes during the summer break in 2021. “Around the summer break of 2021, I decided I just had to think about myself. What I need in the coming years and what makes me happy in this sport,” Bottas said.
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Furthermore, he also admitted that Alfa Romeo’s boss, Fred Vasseur, was one of the biggest reasons why he chose the Sauber-led outfit over other rival teams. Why you might ask? Well, Vasseur and Bottas have already worked together in Formula 3 and GP3 before teaming up again in F1 for the 2022 season.
Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN during Formula 1 testing at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Hasan Bratic/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
“Fifty percent of my decision is based on the presence of Fred Vasseur,” he said. “I’ve known Fred for a long time and I know he can move the team forward. 25 to 30 percent of my decision comes from knowing that I’m playing a key role here. After all, I am much more experienced than my teammate. So the team will be looking at me for the development of the car.”
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Overall, an exciting new journey awaits Bottas, who will finally be able to spread his wings after having them strapped down at Mercedes for the sake of his teammate. So, from being a mentor to a team leader, can Bottas pull off an ecstatic stint at Alfa Romeo?
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