Bottas and the Manufacturers' title in sight to close the Mercedes chapter

Valtteri Bottas is a faithful man. It's not becausehe will join Alfa Romeo for the 2022 Formula 1 season that he will not defend with honor the colors of Mercedes until the end of the 2021 campaign.

The placid Finn, in poor form in Qatar (retirement due to puncture) will give his all to help the Etoile brand in its quest for an eighth consecutive Manufacturers' title. Before the unprecedented meeting in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Mercedes leads by barely five points against Red Bull, who can count on a combative Sergio Pérez this fall.

A brand-new circuit, full of unknowns… it’s going to be all about keeping your inner cool this weekend in Jeddah! 👊@ValtteriBottas and @PET_Motorsports preview the #SaudiArabianGP 👀pic.twitter.com/Qn5QoyOE69

—Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 2, 2021

“Even if I’m leaving, I’m not abandoning any of the goals we’ve set for this year,” assures the 32-year-old driver. A fifth title in a row would be something truly special. So it’s definitely a goal and also a motivation for me to continue to attack until the end. »

The Jeddah urban circuit will allow single-seaters to reach extremely high average speed, which is not to displease Valtteri Bottas. “It was a bit surprising, actually, how fast we were in Qatar, but now it seems that the high-speed tracks are quite suitable for us and the high-speed corners aren't too much of a problem either.

This gives us some hope for Saudi Arabia. I think we are in good shape at the moment, we have good performances, so we have to try to maintain this momentum and our work. We learned a lot with the settings, we set the car a little differently today compared to the beginning of the year. »