“The fact he worked with Mercedes will be an asset for sure” – Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur has revealed the key reasons for bringing in Valtteri Bottas.
It’ll be a Finn out, Finn in for Alfa Romeo next season as Valtteri Bottas replaces the retiring Kimi Raikkonen. Bottas brings in a lot of experience racing for the likes of Williams and Mercedes, something that will help Alfa Romeo massively.
Bottas: [signs for Alfa Romeo]
Also Bottas: pic.twitter.com/hxiKu1EPjI
— Dan (@theDanishLatif) September 12, 2021
Frederic Vasseur acknowledges this and is excited for what Bottas will bring to the table, having won every constructor title possible with Mercedes, and making it to the podium on a regular basis.
“For me, he is a competitor. I remember perfectly the season in GP3 in 2011. The start was difficult, but then he was able to put everything together and to win six or seven races in a row.
“If you have a look over the last 10 years, he was always on the podium, always fighting for pole positions and this is important because it’s a kind of education to be at the front of the grid and, for sure, he will bring his huge experience to the team.
“He’s a front-runner in the championship over the last five years. If you compare with Lewis, he had always a huge performance in qualy, he was something like 0.2 per cent off on average and he will bring also his own experience. The fact he worked with Mercedes will be an asset for sure.
“I think the other point is that from his own side, I think he wants to have a mid-term project. This is an important step, and also to be able to be somehow the leader of the team.
“He was always next to Lewis and will have to take more responsibility with us for sure. This will be a challenge for Valtteri but I think he is ready to do it.”
