Alfa Romeo has swapped one experienced Finn for another for the 2022 Formula 1 season. The departure of 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen was offset by the arrival of a Valtteri Bottas, from the champion team for the last eight seasons.
The Nastola driver, who for years was in the shadow of Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, had to leave the team after the arrival of George Russell. Despite all the criticism and doubts, Bottas has shown in the first three races of the year that he has been the right choice.
“I don’t know if I should be surprised, but he’s doing his job,” said team boss Frédéric Vasseur , pleased with the Finn. “He has done very well in terms of performance in recent years. He was always in the shadow of Lewis [Hamilton], but I think anyone would have been in that situation with Lewis.
Last year there was a wide internal debate about whether the Finn was the right choice. His role at Alfa Romeo is very different from the one he had at Mercedes : instead of being the team’s second driver, he now has to lead it.
And not only does he have to guide the team, but also his partner, the debutant Guanyu Zhou . “I was convinced that I could do it,” Vasseur said. “And so far he’s doing a great job.” With this, the Frenchman does not refer only to the sporting aspect, although Bottas is among the top ten, with 12 points.
The Finn also plays an important role at the factory: “In a way, he is the one who determines the direction of development, what needs to be done to develop the car and improve the team in all aspects. He brings a lot of experience from Mercedes, and That helps us a lot.”
At Alfa Romeo, peace and quiet in the 2022 F1 season
At Alfa Romeo they are particularly surprised by the way the 32-year-old relates to the team. “He always motivates everyone,” praised the structure’s sporting director, Beat Zehnder , on Sky.
Even when Bottas was only able to do two laps in the first free practice session in Bahrain due to technical issues, he remained positive. “We’ve had other drivers who would have been angry,” argues Zehnder . “And Valtteri says: ‘Guys, I trust you. We will solve it’. He is the calmest [of all] and that brings us a lot.”
The Finn is also handling his role as team leader well and helps his team-mate Zhou when needed. “The same thing happens the other way around,” says Zehnder, citing the example of the winter test in Barcelona. There, the rookie put part of his test day at the disposal of Bottas, since he had barely been able to drive.
The performance on the track also contributes to the great mood in Alfa Romeo. Zhou scored points in his debut race, while Bottas was on the third row of the grid in Bahrain. It is the best start to the season for the Hinwil team since 2015.
“Part of the motivation of a racing team is due to its performance,” says Vasseur. “Of course, it also works the other way around: if you have problems, it becomes more difficult.” There have been many difficult moments for Alfa Romeo in recent years. Last season, development of the car was stopped early in order to fully focus on the 2022 car.
“I think we have made a good step,” said the team boss. “Everyone is much more motivated and much more focused now. And we know that every detail counts. Now we compete with the big teams for every hundredth. It’s a great success for all of us.”
