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JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 04: Valtteri Bottas of Finland and Mercedes GP prepares to drive in the garage during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on December 04, 2021 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
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JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 04: Valtteri Bottas of Finland and Mercedes GP prepares to drive in the garage during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on December 04, 2021 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
While fans recover from everything that unfolded at the season-opening Bahrain GP, Valtteri Bottas has been a talking point with his performance. The Alfa Romeo lead shocked everyone with his performance in a car that is, well, not Mercedes.
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Admittedly, it was weird to see Bottas not in the Silver Arrows’ outfit and right next to Lewis Hamilton. The Finn provided his services to the team for five wonderful years, before they dropped him in favor of George Russell.
Though Valtteri is not a Mercedes driver anymore, he is not at a loss for his driving maneuvers. The dexterous driver proved his mettle as he outpaced George Russell in Qualifying, started P6, and later collected points for Alfa Romeo alongside teammate Zhou Guanyu.
Could Valtteri Bottas bring Alfa Romeo out of their misery?
Ahead of the race, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff revealed the juicy message he received from his former driver. He said, “He sent me a WhatsApp before that said ‘look forward to racing you guys tomorrow’”
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“I’m happy for him, for Valtteri, that he has made the move to Alfa, and he’s the lead driver. As far as I understand, he’s bringing his great personality to the team, and he’s energising the team.”
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Formula One F1 – Bahrain Grand Prix – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – March 19, 2022 Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas after qualifying in fifth place REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
It was nice to hear positive comments from Toto for the exceptional driver. While many expected bad blood between the two after Russell’s promotion was announced, the two men have actually constantly supported each other. Bottas has been a tremendous team player, helping the Brackley team win several accolades even in 2021.
Bottas is also being counted on for giving Alfa Romeo his adroit insight and pushing them beyond a midfield team. Funnily enough, both he and Zhou managed a great qualifying and also ended the race on a cheerful note. The Italian team was pleasantly surprised with their result, as fans hailed them as the underdogs alongside Haas.
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Could this be a new start for the team?
