DISCOVERED: Wolff & Horner with Alfa Romeo & Williams F1 bosses while Albon-De Vries saga heats up in Zandvoort

Before the Dutch Grand Prix, former world champion Kimi Raikkonen announced his F1 season after 2021. And that has brightened the entire driver market. The biggest step could be the arrival of Mercedes who are looking to find another place for their longtime driver Valtteri Bottas.

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And now that the veteran Raikkonen is due to leave in late 2021, Alfa Romeo is certainly the best option for Bottas. As a result, there have been rumors of the Finn’s possible move to the Italian team after driving Mercedes for 5 years.

And apparently the talks had already started when Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and Alfa Romeo’s boss Fred Vasseur were spotted together at the Mercedes catering later on Friday. George Russell was also present with the duo.

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The presence of Russell in the conversation could mean that Wolff has confirmed the Bottas-Russell change at Mercedes. And now the Brackley outfit will be in peace when it finds a place for the Finn next season. Now everything depends on the Alfa Romeo think tank.

Red Bull F1 boss spotted with Williams CEO

Since Nyck de Vries took the Formula E crown this season, the Dutchman has been Russell’s potential replacement. But since Alex Albon won his very first DTM race at the Nürburgring, Williams’ focus has shifted consistently to the former Red Bull driver.

Amid the battle for the Williams seat between Red Bull and Mercedes, Albon currently looks like the brightest candidate. To support the statement, Christian Horner from Red Bull and Jost Capito from Williams gave a long talk in the Red Bull Hospitality following the FP2 session.

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The Thai rider Alex Albon celebrated the first DTM victory of his career in the eighth race on Sunday at the legendary Nürburgring and moved up to fourth place overall in the title race. // DTM at the Nürburgring on August 22, 2021 // Julian Kroehl / Red Bull Content Pool

Albon had a difficult period at Red Bull as he struggled to understand the car, which was designed primarily from Verstappen’s inputs.

Now that the chances for Albon looked absolutely bleak after the 2020 season, he could very well be part of the F1 starting field in 2022 and most likely replace his close friend Russell.

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The bottom line is that Russell to Mercedes, Bottas to Alfa Romeo, and Albon to Williams are three of the biggest changes that could happen in the coming weeks. But what does reality have to offer in the face of the growing rumors? Well we’ll know soon enough.

View history: Biggest crashes from 2020 with Leclerc, Vettel & Grosjean