Valtteri Bottas will leave the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team at the end of the current season, with the Finn moving to the Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN team from 2022 on a multi-year contract.
The Finn’s position at Mercedes has been under threat due to the desire of the team to promote Mercedes protégé and current Williams Racing driver George Russell into the seat alongside Lewis Hamilton, and Bottas has now found a new home in Formula 1 from next season.
Being team-mates to Hamilton was never going to be easy, but Bottas has shown himself capable behind the wheel, and during his career to date he has scored nine wins, seventeen pole positions and sixty-three podium finishes.
And Bottas will now have the chance to lead the team at Alfa Romeo having been announced to replace the retiring Kimi Räikkönen from next season.
“A new chapter in my racing career is opening: I’m excited to join Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN for 2022 and beyond for what is going to be a new challenge with an iconic manufacturer,” said Bottas. “Alfa Romeo is a brand that needs no introduction, they have written some great pages of Formula One history and it’s going to be an honour to represent this marque.
“The potential of the setup in Hinwil is clear and I am relishing the opportunity to help lead the team forward up the grid, especially with the new regulations in 2022 giving the team a chance to make a leap in performance. I’m grateful for the trust the team has put in me and I cannot wait to repay their faith: I’m as hungry as ever to race for results and, when the time comes, for wins.
“I know Fred [Vasseur] well and I am looking forward to getting to know the rest of the team I am going to work with, building relationships as strong as the ones I have at Mercedes.”
Bottas says he has been proud of what he has achieved during his time with Mercedes, and he will be looking to end his time with the team on a high by helping them win an eighth consecutive World Constructors’ Championship in 2021.
“I am proud of what I have achieved in Brackley and I am fully focused on finishing the job as we fight for another world championship, but I am also looking forward to the new challenges that await me next year,” added Bottas.
“It is a pleasure to welcome Valtteri to the team” – Frédéric Vasseur
Frédéric Vasseur, the Team Principal of Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN, has welcomed the news that Bottas will be joining the team from the 2022 season, and he hopes the Finn can help them make the next step up the grid next year.
Vasseur and Bottas have worked together previously when the Finn raced in Formula 3 and the GP3 Series, and the Team Principal has always been sure of his talent and skills even during his time in junior formulae.
“It is a pleasure to welcome Valtteri to the team and we are looking forward to our journey together,” said Vasseur. “With him, we bring to Hinwil a strong team player with experience at the sharp end of the grid.
“Valtteri has been an integral part of a team that rewrote the history books and he has four constructors’ world titles to his name: he is the right driver to help Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN make a step forward towards the front of the grid.
“Our relationship goes back a long way, to when we worked together in successful campaigns in F3 and GP3, and his talent and skills have been evident ever since, only growing with the time: I’m really looking forward to seeing him put his ability to work for the good of the team.
“The multi-year deal bringing him to us gives both Valtteri and the team the stability we need to build our project at a crucial time for Formula One: we are excited for what the future holds in store.”
