
That’s it. It actually happened. Valtteri Bottas is leaving Mercedes. A deal that has apparently hung by a thread since the Finnish driver came to Mercedes in 2017 after Nico Rosberg’s somewhat sudden and surprising resignation announcement. After spending those five seasons battling for a contract, Bottas might actually be delighted to see Toto Wolff screw up his contract and find a seat for him at Alfa Romeo.
It’s a hard idea to calculate. Walking out of a door connected to the team that has won every single world title the sport has to offer since 2014 will not be easy steps and will initially leave Bottas with a sense of disappointment. But really, it’s not all doom and darkness. In fact, this could be the light at the end of the tunnel.
The chances that Bottas will become world champion in the second Mercedes seat are the same compared to world champion in an Aston Martin, Alpine or McLaren. Maybe Alfa Romeo is half a percentage point down, but the same theory applies. The reality is, no chance.
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Bottas leaves Mercedes: “A new chapter in my racing career” at Alfa Romeo
BREAKING: #AlfaRomeoRacing has confirmed that Valtteri Bottas will join the team for the 2022 season.
We definitely didn’t see that coming # F1 | # Formula1 | #FormulaOne pic.twitter.com/YZepHooZtA
– GPblog.com (@GPblog_com) September 6, 2021
Tough job
In the same machine, Lewis Hamilton will always have the upper hand over Bottas. Only Max Verstappen and George Russell seem to have the potential to beat the seven-time world champion in a 23-race season, and we’ll never see the Dutchman get into a Mercedes. In any case, not that fast anyway. But we’ll see Russell climb onto the Mercedes seat and it will be interesting to see how he does. Will Hamilton be the next Sebastian Vettel after his partnership with Charles Leclerc? Or will Mercedes give the young Briton some orders? That’s a story for another day.
Bottas has been trying to live up to the expectations that Hamilton has had in the Mercedes since he joined the team for the 2017 season. Nine wins, 17 poles and 54 podiums are not a bad return from 92 grands prix. He has successfully completed his criteria, including four consecutive constructors’ championships. But he won’t have the stress of being compared to Hamilton anymore. He can enjoy the weekend without the weight of expectation or comparison.
And with another team, he can look for a long-term contract instead of the one-year contract he’s got so far. Just signing a contract extension for one year is not beneficial for the driver, as you are constantly fighting against it. When the ink dries on hot summer days, the championship is usually over for Bottas. And when it starts again in March, he’ll be under pressure to get another chance to scribble on the paper. That’s all gone. He can relax from the start of the season and really focus on getting the most out of himself and the car instead of thinking about being on the grid for the next season.
Modification of the regulation
With the new edition of the rules in 2022 and at the age of 31, it is the perfect time for Bottas to escape the vicious circle at Mercedes. There was always this talk about Bottas 3.0 or which version we are currently using, but the reality is that he was never able to press that reset button.
Now, in a new environment, we’re really going to see Bottas 2.0. A new version, a new beginning. And we’re really going to find out how good he is as a driver.
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Bottas saw Hamilton go in: “So no drama”
The post Valtteri Bottas should be happy to leave Mercedes first appeared on monter-une-startup.
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