Valtteri Bottas reached the highest category of motorsport in the 2013 season and after four years in which he left good feelings, Mercedes, the dominant team of the turbo-hybrid era, knocked on his door to replace then world champion Nico Rosberg .
The Finnish driver joined the star team with the complicated task of fighting against a Lewis Hamilton who was hurt after being defeated by his previous teammate and who was sharpening his knives more than ever to return to the top of the category. , with the record of Michael Schumacher between eyebrows.
During his five seasons at Mercedes, Bottas was not able to put Hamilton in trouble, who won everything in terms of titles, except for the 2021 championship, which after a titanic battle was conquered by Max Verstappen.
With the season advanced, Mercedes confirmed that Valtteri Bottas would not continue with them in 2022 and that George Russell would be his replacement. After that statement, the #77 did not take long to announce his signing by the Alfa Romeo team, which meant that he would continue in Formula 1.
As all the events took place so quickly, the future of the Finnish driver went almost unnoticed and little or nothing was known beyond the recognized interest of Alfa Romeo. However, Bottas himself assured in recent statements for his personal podcast that he had more than one offer to continue in F1: “I received a call two days after signing with Alfa Romeo.”
Although he did not reveal the name of the other team that was interested in his services, he acknowledged that the offer was not better than that of the Swiss-based team: “We love you and we can pay half of what they pay (Alfa Romeo)” .
Finally, one thing became clear, and that is that beyond the more or less succulent that the offer could be, it did not arrive on time: “I said: ‘You’re a little late!’ I’m still happy with the decision I’ve made. I think it will be a good thing,” Bottas added.
In reference to his departure from Mercedes , Valtteri Bottas admitted that he did not achieve the goal he had set for himself upon arrival at Brackley, but that he still felt that he could leave Mercedes with a clear conscience and the feeling of a job well done.
“When I joined the team in 2017, the only thing I could think about was winning the world championship. That goal didn’t come off. But I have to look at the positive.”
“I have grown as a driver and as a person. I have learned a lot and we have achieved things that are really great. So there are also many positive things, I definitely take it that way,” concluded the Finn.
