Valtteri Bottas moved from Mercedes to Alfa Romeo when the team leader was Frederic Vasseur, who now ran the Scuderia. Accordingly, the management in Hinvil has also changed and the Finnish rider does not hide the fact that he will miss Vasser.
“Of course I will miss him,” Valtteri replied to a direct question about the French specialist. – He was one of the reasons for my switch to Alfa Romeo. But, imagining myself in Fred’s place, I understand that if such opportunities arise in front of you, they should be used.
I think he will be able to achieve a lot in Maranello, but I am reassured by the thought that we now have a strong organization in Alfa Romeo. Everything works very well, there are no problems at all. But there is something positive: we have at least one good friend in the Ferrari camp and we can hope that he will make sure that our cars are in good condition.”
Valtteri means that Alfa Romeo cars are traditionally powered by Ferrari engines, so the Swiss team’s results also depend on the efficient work of the Maranello supervisors.
Bottas has a very positive attitude for the start of the season and he expects better results than last year when he took 10th place in the individual standings: “It is possible if my season goes well. I’ve set myself the task of being in the top seven by the end of the year, but that takes a good car. I will immediately take a big step forward as soon as my starts go smoother – I can already count on extra points because of this.
Valtteri also made it clear that he will not say goodbye to Formula 1 in the coming years: “I believe that my career can continue for a few more years. Now I’m 33 and every season I get more experience. Look at 40-year-old Fernando Alonso or 38-year-old Lewis Hamilton – both are still excellent pilots. The physical shape allows you to perform for a long time. In my case, the limit may be closer to 40 years.
When Bottas was asked who has the best chance of winning the title in 2023, he said without hesitation: “I bet it will be Lewis Hamilton.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
