Valtteri Bottas joins Alfa Romeo for several seasons

It's the end of the worst kept secret in the paddock of the Formula 1. After five seasons spent with Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas will ride well in a car in the colors ofAlfa Romeo from next season. After Kimi Räikkönen, who announced his retirement a few days ago, it is therefore another experienced Finnish driver who joins the Italian team for several years starting in 2022.

Breaking news! 🗞 @ValtteriBottas will join Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN for the 2022 season and beyond, with the Finnish driver signing a multi-year deal with the Hinwil-based team. pic.twitter.com/2XNeMtUGMn

— Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber (@stakef1team_ks) September 6, 2021

In any case, it is a superb move carried out by Alfa Romeo, Bottas being Frédéric Vasseur's absolute priority. His experience and his burst of speed, particularly in qualifying, should allow the Hinwil team to take a step forward.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Valtteri to the team and we look forward to moving forward together, recognizes the French boss. With him we bring to Hinwil a strong driver with experience from the top of the grid. Valtteri was an integral part of a team that rewrote the history books of the sport and he has four constructors' titles to his name: he is the right driver to helping Alfa Romeo Racing take a step towards the front of the grid.

Our relationship goes back a long way, to when we worked together in successful campaigns in Formula 3 and GP3 Series at the turn of the 2010s. His talent and skills had been evident, and they only grew with time: I really look forward to seeing him put his abilities to the service of the team. The multi-year deal that brought him to us gives Valtteri and the team the stability we need to build our project at a crucial time for Formula 1: we are excited about what the future holds. »

One mystery remains to be clarified, that of Valtteri Bottas' teammate. Antonio Giovinazzi is in the hot seat despite his best qualification in F1 at Zandvoort (Netherlands, 7th) while Theo Pourchaire, protégé of the Sauber Academy, sails in Formula 2 with success under his belt in the streets of Monaco.

Vice-world champion in 2019 and 2020, the former pilot Williams has won nine victories and taken 17 poles since his arrival at the star brand. Losing momentum since the start of the season, Bottas has not won in Formula 1 for almost a year, during his favorite Grand Prix in Sochi (Russia) on September 27, 2020. 

Mercedes, with whom he was at the end of his contract, therefore decided that the time had come to turn the page and change cycles. Despite the support of his teammate world champion Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas failed to convince the Mercedes staff to renew their confidence in him. A game of musical chairs which should therefore lead to the formalization of George Russell at Mercedes very soon.

" A new chapter of my racing career opens : I am delighted to join Alfa Romeo Racing for 2022 and beyond for what will be a new challenge with an iconic manufacturer, continues the person concerned. Alfa Romeo is a brand that needs no introduction, they have written great pages in the history of Formula 1 (two Pilots titles in 1950 and 1951. Editor’s note) and it will be an honor to represent this brand.

The potential of the setup at Hinwil is clear and I relish the opportunity to help the team progress up the grid, particularly with the new regulations in 2022 which give the team a chance to make a jump ahead. I am grateful for the trust the team has placed in me and I look forward to returning their trust: I am hungrier than ever to race for results and, when the time comes, for victories.

I know Fred well [Vasseur] and I look forward to getting to know the rest of the team I will be working with, building relationships as strong as those I have at Mercedes. I'm proud of what I've achieved at Brackley and I'm fully focused on finishing the job as we fight for another World Championship title, but I'm also looking forward to the new challenges that lie ahead. next year. »