Confirmed! Valtteri Bottas finally retires from Mercedes

The big decision is finally here, officially confirmed. Valtteri Bottas is finally out of Mercedes and will no longer drive alongside Lewis Hamilton next year. Who will replace him? That’s been more or less clear to everyone for a while now.

Valtteri Bottas made his Formula 1 debut in 2013. Back then, as a rookie, he signed with Williams Racing, where he was teammate to Pastor Maldonado. A year later, Maldonado was replaced by Felipe Massa.

The Massa-Bottas driver pairing remained unchanged for the next three years. The most successful season at Williams was the second one – the 2014 season. Here Bottas scored six podium finishes and finished fourth overall in the drivers’ championship.

In the team championship, the Williams stable achieved a great result – third place in the overall standings (320 points). The following season was almost as successful as 2014. Once again, third place in the constructors’ championship, with Bottas finishing fifth in the drivers’ table.

2016 was Bottas’ last year in the Williams stable. And it wasn’t nearly as successful as the previous two years. The Finnish driver was only eighth in the final drivers’ table.

From the 2017 season, Bottas joined Mercedes, where he became Lewis Hamilton’s teammate. At Silver Arrows, the thirty-two-year-old Finn filled the role of teammate. His record so far? 92 races, 9 wins and 53 podium finishes.

But his time at Mercedes is coming to an end. For next year, he’ll don the Alfa Romeo overalls. But his teammate, Antonio Giovinazzi, is still not confirmed. But according to the latest speculation, the Italian is not expected to continue in Formula One at all. The most serious candidates for his seat are Alex Albon and Nyck de Vries.

But who will replace Bottas at Mercedes? Well, it’s been pretty clear for a while now. George Russell, who would also be heading to the British team from Williams, can be expected to be confirmed in the coming days.

“This is a new chapter in my racing career,” said Bottas. “I am thrilled to join Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen for 2022 and beyond. It’s a new challenge with a legendary manufacturer,” he added.

“The facilities at Hinwil are great and I relish the opportunity to help move the team up the ranks. Especially with the new rules in 2022, which give the team a chance to make a performance leap. I’m grateful for the trust the team has placed in me and I can’t wait to repay it. I’m as hungry as ever for success, and when the time comes, I’m hungry for wins,” he added.

He knows the team’s boss, Frédéric Vasseur, from his time out of Formula 1.

“I know Fred well and I’m looking forward to getting to know the rest of the team I’ll be working with and building the same strong relationships I have with Mercedes. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved at Brackley and I’m fully focused on finishing the job as we fight for another world title, but I’m also looking forward to the new challenges that await me next year.”

” Valtteri has been an integral part of a team that has rewritten history and has four constructors’ world titles to his name .

“He is the right driver to help Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen take a step forward… Our relationship goes back a long way, to when we worked together in successful campaigns in F3 and GP3. Since then, his talent and skills have been evident and have only grown with time.”

Bottas has signed a multi-year contract with Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen. The Italian team is likely to count him as the team’s number one.

Source