Lewis Hamilton has been visibly frustrated with Mercedes’ lack of progress and he has vocalized it on several occasions. But he is not the only driver who has to go through such comfortless times. Apart from Max Verstappen, all other drivers have some concern or the other. For one particular driver, the concerns seem to have amplified and he is the man that Hamilton referred to as his “best teammate”.

If Valtteri Bottas is the first name that popped into your mind, props to you. Yes, the Finnish driver who shared a great bond with the 7-time champion, has had it with Alfa Romeo. Having scored only 49 points in 2022, followed by a miserly 5 points in the first half of 2023, he now hopes to go back to driving for an engine manufacturer like Mercedes. Alfa Romeo’s reliance on Ferrari for its engine has cost him a lot of performance. Consequently, he now wants nothing to do with them.

“It is tough fighting at the back sometimes,” Bottas told The Athletic. “When you’re almost fighting P-Last, it’s painful. I just try to think things will get better. And if I put in the effort, hopefully, we’ll get out of it. For me, being a part of a manufacturer now is the next goal. That will hopefully give me a chance to get back up there.”

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The Switzerland-based team direly needs to pick itself up, take accountability, and build its C43 into an absolute unit. Otherwise, it could be curtains for their partnership with Bottas. Though their car is slow, the ex-Mercedes driver knows his responsibilities in helping his team get back up.

Valtteri Bottas explains his role in getting Alfa Romeo out of their rut

However good or poor the car might be, at the end of the day, if a team wants to make good progress, the role of the drivers in giving significant insights into the car’s performance is key. And the experienced man that Bottas is, he knows all this. He has to give it his all for Alfa Romeo to even have a chance to enter the midfield.

“I need to give 100 percent of my knowledge, and be fully committed,” Bottas said. “That’s my role at the moment — not just to drive the car, but to really keep pushing and keep trying.”

The Finnish driver has raced at the same breakneck speed that the W11 provided, alongside Lewis Hamilton. But to see the duo now not being able to replicate the same is heartbreaking.

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