Bottas joins Alfa Romeo after five years at Mercedes alongside Lewis Hamilton.
During his time with the dominant force of Formula 1, Bottas claimed 10 wins, 20 pole positions and 58 podiums while helping Mercedes to five consecutive Constructors’ Championships.
The Finn finished second twice behind his teammate but failed to secure a credible title win as Hamilton won the championships well before the end of the 2019 and 2020 season.
As Bottas works alongside F1 rookie Guanyu Zhou he will effectively be the team leader for Alfa Romeo heading into the new regulations.
At the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Vasseur believes his long relationship with Bottas – having worked with him in the junior categories – is an asset.
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“Yes,” Vasseur said when asked if Bottas would bring positive energy to the team. “We’re in touch a lot, it’s not just that we run together, we’ve been in touch for the last 12 or 14 years.
“I know it’s a new chapter in his career for him and he takes the fact that he will be key to the system as a new opportunity.”
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Vasseur believes Bottas will be a key figure in Alfa Romeo’s development given his experience with Mercedes.
“I think he was and it’s natural when you’re Lewis’ team-mate you’re a little bit overshadowed by your team-mate and for us it’s going to be a strong pillar of the performance of the team’s development,” he added. “I think it was an important step for him too and I’m really convinced that he will achieve something in this position.”
