Valtteri Bottas spills the beans: his broadside to Mercedes

A feeling he has never experienced before, despite a career that now makes him a veteran.

Valtteri Bottas is in his first season in Alfa Romeo, and he has found a way to earn esteem and affection from Italian Formula 1 fans after his years in Mercedes. Seasons during which he tasted the sensation of winning a Grand Prix ten times, but which he now admits also gave him less enthusiasm than now.

“In Alfa Romeo I am extremely involved, and I have the opportunity to express my opinions. This is completely new for me, throughout my career it has never been like this,” Bottas admitted in an interview with ‘Crash.net,’ although he never explicitly referred to Mercedes.

Another source of frustration from his years alongside Lewis Hamilton, moreover, stemmed from the consistently one-year contracts that Mercedes always offered him. And Bottas decided not to beat around the bush: “Being able to work long-term instead of short-term is a good feeling. For years during the August break I wondered if I would have a job the following year. Now I live in a new environment with renewed goals. And I must say that the whole thing is very interesting.”