Valtteri Bottas has made a positive switch to Alfa Romeo for the time being. The Finnish driver said goodbye to Mercedes at the end of last season and took up the challenge with his new team that is even outperforming the German stable in some races in 2022. Frederic Vasseur sees that Bottas feels good at Alfa Romeo, he tells The Race.
The formation decided after the 2021 season to no longer continue with Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, after which Alfa Romeo went in search of replacements. With Guanyu Zhou, the team found a talented driver, while Bottas had to provide the necessary experience.
For the time being the Finn is succeeding quite well. Not only does he already know how to make the necessary changes in the team, but he also shows on the track that he is capable of getting the most out of the car. With sixth, eighth and fifth places, Bottas was in the top ten in three of the four races.
Vasseur saw that Bottas was doing well at Mercedes
According to Vasseur, the performances did not come out of nowhere, as he believes Bottas did a handsome job at Mercedes as well. For example, Bottas would never have been far from Lewis Hamilton in qualifying. "It’s minimal compared to all the other guys in front," Vasseur states. "For sure the race performance is always a bit more difficult when you have Lewis in front of you. And when you start from the first row, you are always very exposed."