Valtteri Bottas is no longer a Mercedes man, and he is now driving for Alfa Romeo. Further, the Finn is now aiming to take his new team to the top, which even means defeating his former team.

The 32-year-old had been a key part of the Silver Arrow’s success in the past five years. Bottas helped Mercedes lift five of their total eight Constructor’s Championships. The Finn always aimed to become the main man for the German constructors but fell short against his seven-time world champion teammate.

After spending five years at the Brackley-based team, Bottas moved to Alfa Romeo in 2021. He replaced the retired Kimi Raikkonen. Further, he became the torchbearer for the Italian F1 team and would help the team grow to the top. So, the Finnish driver is even prepared to take on the other F1 teams, which include Mercedes.

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Bottas has already showcased some phenomenal performances this season. In the past two races, he didn’t go easy on Hamilton and Mercedes. Recently, Bottas shared that he aims for Alfa Romeo to finish top five and further said, “That should be the goal for now.”

Valtteri Bottas still friends with former Mercedes teammate

Bottas and Lewis Hamilton were undoubtedly one of the best F1 teammates. Together they helped Mercedes dominate in F1. Further, the two shared a great bond.

The Finnish driver is now on Alfa Romeo whereas, former Williams driver George Russell took over Bottas in Mercedes after the Finn left. So,  Bottas and Hamilton will not drive together any longer. Instead, they will drive against each other. However, it doesn’t mean that they would turn into enemies now.

The Alfa Romeo driver recently stated that he might no longer be driving with Hamilton for the same team, but they would be still friends. Fans even witnessed the Finn and Briton chat a lot during the last two races.

Bottas said, “We are not team-mates but still mates. It’s nice. We have a good relationship in a way. We did achieve quite a bit of things together as team-mates. I think that kind of friendship will for sure last too.”

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The Finn already showcased impressive driving against the Silver Arrows and Hamilton at Bahrain and Jeddah. So, fans should keep their eyes on the Australian GP this week.