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SPOTTED: Wolff & Horner With Alfa Romeo & Williams F1 Bosses as Albon-De Vries Saga Heats Up at Zandvoort

Published 09/04/2021, 4:36 AM EDT

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via Reuters

Ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, the one-time world champion, Kimi Raikkonen announced his retired post-2021 F1 season. And this has lit up the entire driver’s market. The biggest move could be arriving from Mercedes, who are keen on finding a seat elsewhere for their long-held driver, Valtteri Bottas.

And now, with the experienced Raikkonen set to depart by the end of 2021, Alfa Romeo is certainly the best option yet for Bottas. Consequently, there have been rumors going around about the Finn’s potential move to the Italian outfit after racing with Mercedes for 5 years.

And seemingly, the talks may have already begun, as Mercedes’ boss, Toto Wolff, and Alfa Romeo’s boss, Fred Vasseur, were spotted together at the Mercedes’ hospitality later on Friday. Along with the duo, George Russell was present too.

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The presence of Russell in the talk could mean that Wolff has affirmed the Bottas-Russell switch at Mercedes. And now, the Brackley outfit will be at peace when they manage to find a seat for the Finn next season. Now, it all depends on Alfa Romeo’s think tank.

Red Bull F1 boss spotted with Williams CEO

Ever since Nyck de Vries lifted the Formula-E crown this season, the Dutchman had remained the potential replacement for Russell. However, ever since Alex Albon won his first-ever DTM race at Nurburgring, Williams’ focus consequently shifted to the former Red Bull driver.

Amidst the battle for the Williams seat between Red Bull and Mercedes, Albon is looking like the brightest prospect at the moment. To aid the statement, Red Bull’s Christian Horner and Williams’ Jost Capito held a long talk in the Red Bull hospitality following the FP2 session.

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via Imago

Albon had a tough phase at Red Bull, as he struggled to understand the car which was primarily designed according to Verstappen’s inputs.

Hence, after chances looked absolutely bleak for Albon following the 2020 season, he could well be a part of the F1 grid in 2022, most likely replacing his close friend, Russell.

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Bottom line, it looks like Russell to Mercedes, Bottas to Alfa Romeo, and Albon to Williams are three of the biggest switches that could happen in the coming weeks. But, what does reality have to offer amidst the growing rumors? Well, we’ll know soon enough.

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Written by:

Rohit Kumar

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Rohit Kumar is an F1 author at EssentiallySports. He has been an ardent follower of the racing series since 2007, with his love for the sport coinciding with his love for Kimi Raikkonen. He is also an ardent follower of Sebastian Vettel and Aston Martin Racing.
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