Mostly every F1 fan had a pretty good idea of where Lewis Hamilton's teammate would be headed next year. Suspicions were confirmed in September. Valtteri Bottas is indeed leaving Mercedes to go to Alfa Romeo for the 22' season.
Here at BTL, our blog team are back, anticipating how his first season will go!
This is a follow up from their initial prediction blog - 'Where Will Bottas Future Lie' - have a read if you haven't already, it's a good one!
Ellie's view:
Valtteri Bottas has recently excelled since his announcement to Alfa Romeo with one of the best qualifying laps we have seen this season at Monza. Bottas, unfortunately, took the penalty for his new power unit and started from the back of the grid and pushing his way through the pack to finish with a 3rd place finish. We have now got to see the Valtteri we all love, and to see him this second half of the season enjoy his racing is something we want more of, and his strive to succeed.
The new regulation changes for 2022, we will see each team become more competitive. As a prestigious brand with a vast history, with an excellent driver in the realm of the new project at Alfa Romeo, they will certainly be moving up the standings. They are currently 9th in this season, constructors’ standings. The experience that Bottas has gained over his career will have a change in the team dynamic, direction and push for the car to be better and mostly not afraid to take chances. The next issue will only be for Valtteri is his new partner, as Alfa Romeo are yet to make this announcement but the favourite to take this seat is the F2 driver Guanyu Zhou, but Antonio Giovinazzi is not going without a fight pushing the car to the limits in qualifying most recently with a P10, entering Q3.
When Alfa Romeo decide on this second seat, Valtteri Bottas and his new teammate will get to work, ready to learn, adapt to this new car and most importantly helping Alfa Romeo become the successful team it should be. Alfa Romeo has chosen wisely, and it will pay off, Bottas will certainly push through the grid once again. My 2022 season prediction will be the Top 10 driver standing finish. The pressure is off, no more rumours, contract secured, and we are excited to see the next stage of Valtteri Bottas and his career.
Arabella's view:
Personally, although I am happy for George – I am a little upset for Valtteri. I believe Bottas will flourish at Alfa Romeo and show that he can also be an independent driver, focusing on his own race and not needing to ‘give out favours’. As we know, the Alfa Romeo isn’t as quick as the Mercedes, however, I do believe Bottas can still get the most out of his race week in and week out. He said “it is a new and exciting project for me” - (Instagram 6/9/21) highlighting his positivity with working alongside the Alfa Romeo team.
Alvi's view:
There is no lie that the pressure was mounting on Mercedes to bring in George Russell to replace the underperforming Valtteri Bottas but with the new technical regulations coming into play from next season, could this be exactly what the newly appointed Alfa Romeo driver needs?
First off, Valtteri will be relinquished of his support act role and become a leader for the Swiss based team and use his experience to develop the car in order to become as competitive as they can. There is no doubt that over a single lap Bottas is one of the quickest on the grid, but with team orders more likely to be favoured to the Fin’s side of the garage, it is expected that he can lead the team in points on a Sunday as well.
More importantly Alfa want a mentor for the next three seasons in order to help develop the growth of Sauber Academy Superstar, Théo Pourchaire. Only recently turning 18, it is possible to see the Frenchman in Formula 1 for the 2023 season.
There’s only one concern I share in this move for Bottas to Alfa Romeo. Although, the technical regulations are being reset for 2022, the new engine regulations do not kick in until 2025 which means Valtteri would have to learn how to optimise a brand-new power unit, a Ferrari Power unit. For the last nine years, Bottas has driven with a Renault engine in his rookie season, and a Mercedes one for the remaining eight years. Who knows? Ferrari may sort their Power Unit issues out but it seems very unlikely.
Overall, I believe Bottas is going to have a resurgence in confidence, much like Pierre Gasly did when he was swapped back into the Torro Rosso in 2019, and lead Alfa back into the midst of the Midfield.
Caitlyn's view:
Personally, think it's a good move. Especially with the new regulations next year. Yes, like most drivers he'll have to learn their way of working and come to terms with the car but unlike many, he can bring his expertise, knowledge, and experience that he has gained from his time with one of the top 2 teams to Alfa Romeo.
In turn, throughout the season they'll be hopeful that they can improve and become a mid-field team, getting further up the grid with a chance of securing points more often. Hopefully they'll be a level playing field between both drivers and management and he is able to take charge independently. With only 2 races left of 2021, the swap is quickly approaching and he seems excited and ready to take on this new challenge - fingers crossed it's the right decision.
Header Image: Sky Sports F1
Comments