“I don’t have anywhere to put it”: 10 GP winner Valtteri Bottas does not know where to put his Mercedes parting gift

Valtteri Bottas left Mercedes in 2022 after spending five seasons with them and received a very special parting gift. 

Bottas was part of Mercedes during an era in which the team dominated the sport. The Silver Arrows won five Constructors’ Titles with Bottas as their driver during those five years. Lewis Hamilton took up most of the spotlight during Bottas’ Mercedes stint, but the Finn played a crucial role in the team’s success.

Bottas won 10 races with Mercedes before deciding to move on from Brackley. He replaced the retiring Kimi Raikkonen at Alfa Romeo ahead of the 2022 season and is currently thriving with the Hinwil-based outfit. Before leaving Mercedes, however, the team presented him with a parting gift that is extremely special to him.

The former Williams driver’s first race win came in 2017 when he won the Russian GP. It was a spectacular drive on a track that he absolutely loves. Mercedes made sure Bottas got to take his debut GP-winning W08 with him before leaving them for Alfa Romeo. It was a heartwarming gesture from the German team.

Bottas meanwhile joked about getting the gift. “It was a little surprise but a nice gift. Now I just don’t have anywhere to put it!” he said.

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Valtteri Bottas enjoying his Alfa Romeo stint with Guanyu Zhou

Bottas has had a very impressive debut season with Alfa Romeo. The Italian team has made bigger strides after a weak 2021 campaign, and Bottas has guided their car to some pretty impressive displays over the course of the season.

The 33-year-old admitted that he has been enjoying his role at Alfa Romeo a lot more than he did at his former team. After a long time, he is enjoying his status as a number-one driver at a team. On top of that, he is paired up with Guanyu Zhou, who is an exciting rookie. Bottas revealed that he loves to share his experience with the young Chinese driver to help his team maximize their performances.

“I have good experience in the sport and having a rookie team mate,” said Bottas. “He will need support and I’m ready to give that.”

“In the end, if we want the results in the future, in the years to come, we need to be able to work together. I’m sure we can work well together. And I’m going to help Guanyu as much as I can.

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