Valtteri Bottas revealed that another team had offered him a contract after he had signed a deal with Alfa Romeo.
In early September this year, the Mercedes racing team announced Valtteri Bottas’ exit. Between the Dutch and the Italian Grand Prix, the team also announced that George Russell would replace the Finnish driver.
Around the same time, Bottas revealed that he would be joining Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season with a three-year contract. However, an offer from a Swiss-based team was not the only one that Bottas received.
Let’s do it one more time 💙#VB77 #F1 #AbuDhabiGP @MercedesAMGF1 @F1 pic.twitter.com/bRBk8NBSB2
— Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) December 6, 2021
Speaking in Supla.fi’s ‘Direct Talk About Me’ podcast, and quoted by Iltalehti.fi, the 32-year-old did not reveal the team’s name. But, he said that the team had done slightly better than Alfa Romeo in recent years.
Although, he was not interested as the salary that was on the table did not match his expectations. Bottas said, “Like, two days after I signed with Alfa, I got a call saying we want you and we can pay half what Alfa pays.”
“I said, you’re a bit late now. I’m still happy with this option. I think it will be a good one,” he further added.
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Valtteri Bottas: “Lewis Hamilton is probably the best in the history of F1”
The Finnish driver will leave the Mercedes team with five straight Contructors’ Championships. With one race of the 2021 season remaining, Mercedes is 28 points ahead of Red Bull.
Meanwhile, Bottas failed to complete his ultimate goal of beating his teammate Lewis Hamilton to the Drivers’ title. Alfa Romeo will require a colossal improvement under the new F1 regulations to help Bottas achieve his goal.
He said, “of course, my main ambition didn’t come true,” said Bottas. “I tried my best. It was certainly not a stroke of luck, but it was also challenging to beat a teammate who is probably the best in the history of F1.
“There are things to be proud of here. Maybe in hindsight, you appreciate them even more. It could have been worse,” Bottas concluded.
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