Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas is starting a new adventure with the Alfa Romeo F1 team in 2022. After a strong 5-year long stint with reigning champions Mercedes, Bottas left the team at the end of 2021. Alfa Romeo is going ahead with a fresh driver lineup of Bottas and Rookie Guanyu Zhao in 2022. Coming from a dominant team, Bottas has taken up an entirely new role in a mid-field team.

The Finn had multiple strong weekends with the Silver Arrows, winning 10 Grand Prix and finishing on the podium on 58 occasions. However, that never led to a championship-winning bid, which was his ultimate goal. Now, after years of being behind Lewis Hamilton, Bottas is the main man in his new team.

Moreover, Bottas is well-aware of the capabilities of his new team. He won’t be gunning for regular wins or front-row starts. However, he does secretly aspire to reach the podium for Alfa Romeo this season. The pre-season tests did not paint a positive picture for the team as they lagged on the mileage side on day 1. However, they have got two weeks before the second round of testing in Bahrain to fix these issues.

The 2022 season kick starts a new era in F1, with new regulations sweeping over. F1 insiders are expecting a more fair and competitive grid, but there won’t be a drastic change in the power structure right from the start.

Valtteri Bottas is aiming at a podium with Alfa Romeo

Bottas has taken over a medium-term project and his aim would be to score points consistently. Earlier, his new boss, Frederic Vasseur, brushed off any case of Bottas getting frustrated due to the incapability of his new car. In a recent interview, Bottas also spoke on similar lines. His goal at Alfa Romeo is to be in points consistently, but he also wants to bag a podium with his new team.

“I haven’t given up on my goals yet. The day I win the championship will always be the day when my dreams come true. But for now, I’m thinking of taking a good step as a team. If I can get stable points, that alone will be a big achievement. And I will be on the podium with Alfa Romeo. Secretly dreaming of it,” said Bottas, as reported by Motorsport.com.

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Moreover, he also excepts the new regulations to allow lower mid-field teams to close some gap on the frontrunners.

“The new regulations greatly limit what we can do in each area, so I feel excited. Machine aerodynamics and mechanical design can’t make a big difference, so I hope the whole thing is closer than ever. I think there is a great opportunity for small teams if there are various drivers on the podium and the top 10 are in different positions each time,” added the Finn.

Now, with a new team and valuable experience to back him, many expect Bottas to function with more autonomy than ever. The 2022 season comes with a lot of uncertainty, which begs the question: where do you think Bottas will finish this season?

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