Valtteri Bottas’ bitter-sweet time at Mercedes has finally come to an end with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he crossed the finish line in P6. Indeed, it wasn’t the kind of finish that Bottas or Mercedes would have hoped for.

Yet, we certainly wouldn’t call his stint a failure; The Finn walked into the Brackley Outfit as a mere amateur, having only raced for Williams, which was then quite an inconsistent mid-field team.

Now, he can walk out with his head held high, as not only a 10-time Grand Prix winner but also a 60-time podium finisher. He is no longer a part of such a dominant team and will now have to race with an inferior Alfa Romeo, who are yet to secure a podium in years.

So, would he worry much about losing his seat at Mercedes? Unlikely, considering the fact that he had been playing a wingman for Lewis Hamilton until the very end of the 2021 season. Hence, leaving the team in a happy mood, Bottas couldn’t resist but give his successor a hilarious welcome gift.

Valtteri Bottas sends across a signed gift to George Russell

Prior to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as a send-off, the entire Mercedes team wore the ‘Bottas’ mask during the annual photoshoot. Bottas managed to get his hands on one of the masks and signed it with an interesting message for Russell.

Bottas wrote, “To George! Enjoy 🙂“.

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Subsequently, the Briton took to Twitter to reveal the surprise gift he received from Bottas. He further captioned it, “What a man! Cheers VB.”

Russell will certainly be targeting the championship as he marches into Mercedes next season. However, the initial few race weekends will be highly crucial for Russell as the Brackley outfit would keep a close eye on how he fares against Hamilton.

If Russell does produce underwhelming performances against the 7-time world champion, it is highly likely that Mercedes will force Russell to follow Bottas’ path, as a mere wingman to Hamilton. So, will Russell manage to show his true pace in his very first campaign with the defending champions?

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