“Never thought I would say it!”: 32-year old Valtteri Bottas reveals whether he is eying to be Sebastian Vettel’s replacement at Aston Martin

Valtteri Bottas left Mercedes in 2022 to join Alfa Romeo, after spending five seasons with the Brackley based outfit. 

Bottas was part of a Mercedes team that dominated the majority of the turbo-hybrid era. He arrived there in 2017, and spent seasons there. He is a 10-time race winner in F1, all of which he won with the Silver Arrows.

However, he spent a vast majority of his stint as second driver to Lewis Hamilton. He played the ultimate team game on several occasions to help his teammate win four World Championships.

One problem Bottas always faced at Mercedes was that he never had his future secured. The Finn was always given a one-year extension after the completion of a campaign. As a result, he had to deliver his best performance just to make sure he had an F1 seat for the following season.

In 2021, he finally decided that he needed some security about his future. Bottas joined Alfa Romeo, who offered him a multi-year contract.

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Valtteri Bottas on whether he will replace Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin

Vettel’s retirement from Formula 1 has left the entire community shocked. He is one of the greatest drivers of all time, and will leave a huge hole upon exiting the paddock for the last time at the 2022 Abu Dhabi GP.

On the other hand, it has also generated a lot of excitement in the paddock. Multiple names have emerged linking drivers to that empty Aston Martin seat for 2023. The likes of Niko Hulkenberg, Oscar Piastri and even current F2 leader Felipe Drugovich have all been mentioned.

Ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian GP, a reporter asked whether Bottas would consider joining the Silverstone outfit. The 32-year old took a dig at his former team, and replied by saying that his future his already secured.

“I never thought I would say it, but I have a contract!” the Finn said.

Other F1 drivers like Daniel Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen all joined in ruling out any rumors linking them to Vettel’s replacement seat.

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