Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas says he never “seriously considered” withdrawing from Formula 1 after it became known that he would switch from Mercedes to Alfa Romeo.
Bottas was with Mercedes for five years and helped his teammate Lewis Hamilton to win several world championship titles. His move to his new team was made public ahead of the 2021 Italian Grand Prix and he says the “long-term project” is motivation for him to stay in F1.
“This change and with a new contract didn’t happen overnight, so I actually had quite a bit of time to process things and think about the difference in our roles,” he told GP fans.
“Of course I also asked myself, do I want that or should I try another way? That was also an option, but I never seriously considered leaving Formula 1 because deep down I love Formula 1 and competition and a lot about it.
“Again, related to this something new and a long-term project, that’s what motivates me to help the team as much as possible and I think it can be really rewarding when we achieve some good things.”
Bottas’ last endeavor in a Mercedes car was in a subpar race for the star at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He did not help Hamilton as he was stuck in midfield throughout the race during a race in which the British driver refused to claim an eighth record world title.
After the 2021 season was decided, Bottas said he was “gutted” for his teammate.
He told the F1 website, “Of course we wanted to get both titles and it’s huge to get the constructors back, but at the same time it hurts that Lewis didn’t get the drivers because even to me I feel like I have lost the championship because he lost it.
“I feel really discouraged for him because I feel he deserves it … He had a great start, a great race, and then things change like this. But you know, that’s just sport, that’s the way it is. Sometimes it goes towards you, sometimes it goes to you – but today was not our day. “
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