“Valtteri Bottas deserved to stay with the 2022 Mercedes team,” Toto Wolff on the Move to Alfa Romeo

“Valtteri Bottas deserved to stay with the 2022 Mercedes team,” Toto Wolff on the Move to Alfa Romeo

Valtteri Bottas with Toto Wolff

The much anticipated announcement rumours surrounding Valtteri Bottas were finally made official on Monday, as the Finn announced his departure from the F1 Mercedes team. Bottas has confirmed that he will be joining Alfa Romeo Racing with multi-year contract.

Bottas’ 5 year career at Mercedes has been nothing short of spectacular. Picking up 9 wins, 17 poles, 54 podiums and 4 constructor titles, the driver has been a force to be reckoned with. Toto said that it had not been an easy or straightforward decision for the team. He went on to say that Valtteri had done a fantastic job over the last five seasons, building a benchmark for their unprecedented success.

“Valtteri has done a fantastic job over the past five seasons and he has made an essential contribution to our success and to our growth,” said Toto Wolff according to MotorSport.

Toto Wolff Appreciates Valtteri Bottas’ Contribution to Mercedes; Says He Deserved to Stay on the Team

Toto Wolff and Valtteri Bottas
Toto Wolff and Valtteri Bottas

Toto Wolff was quick to praise Bottas and his contribution towards Mercedes’ success, and suggested that the Finn had done more than enough to stay with the team. “He would absolutely have deserved to stay with the team, and I am pleased that he has been able to choose an exciting challenge with Alfa next year to continue his career at the top level of the sport,” said Toto adding that Bottas will forever be a part of the Mercedes family.

Bottas, looking back at his time at Mercedes said that he had made complete use of this opportunity, and had left nothing on the table. He praised his teammate Lewis Hamilton and said that the harmony between them was the key to their success in winning the constructors championships.

“When I look back on my time with Mercedes, I want to be able to say that I squeezed every drop out of this opportunity and left nothing on the table; and I want to make sure that we finish our time together as champions,” said Bottas.

Bottas said that he was pleased to have chosen a new challenge with Alpha Romeo, and was eager to take the opportunity to move the team up the grid in the future. As he moves on from this team, Bottas is ready for a fresh start and a new chapter in his life to begin.

“”I am really pleased to have chosen my new challenge with Alfa Romeo, an exciting and iconic manufacturer. I’m as hungry as ever to race for results and, when the time comes, for wins. But for now, my mission is clear: maximum attack for Mercedes, all the way to the final lap in Abu Dhabi.“ 

This also clears the way for George Russell to take the seat next year at Mercedes, an announcement that will almost certainly be made soon enough.

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