Valtteri Bottas could possibly have driven for Ferrari in the past, the Finn tells the Beyond the Grid podcast. Had it gone ahead, however, he would not have driven alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.

The driver addressed the departure of Fred Vasseur to Ferrari. The Frenchman was Bottas' team boss at Alfa Romeo last season. "He called me a couple of days before, said, 'maybe I have seen the rumours, but now I can confirm that this is happening, but don't worry, things are gonna be in place and so on, so fair play," he said. The 10-time race winner understands the magic that Ferrari still holds: "I do, definitely, I do, you know it's obviously windy at the top, but that's the name of tha game."

Bottas held talks with Ferrari

Whether there was ever talk of the 33-year-old Finn switching to the Italian racing stable? "There was a long time ago, can't remember the exact year, but I think it was before Mercedes I think." From his Mercedes period, it never became concrete. "I was committed to secure the Mercedes seat," said the current Alfa Romeo driver.