“He did not get the credit he wanted from Mercedes”- Former world champion thinks Valtteri Bottas will thrive at Alfa Romeo

Valtteri Bottas signed a multi-year contract with Ferrari-backed Alfa Romeo after spending five years with the Silver Arrows.

Mika Hakkinen also known as “the Flying Finn” believes that Valtteri Bottas will excel in his new environment with Alfa Romeo.

Bottas will be replacing Kimi Raikkonen who took retirement from the sport at the end of the 2021 season. Bottas will be riding alongside Guanyu Zhou, who will experience his rookie year in F1 in 2022.

Hakkinen believes that the 32-year-old is a great team player and driver. “Bottas is going to drive in a nice stable. However, he will not be fighting for similar investments compared to Mercedes time. The resources of the teams are not comparable,” he said.

Who could forget the battle for third between Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas?! 🥊

These two came out swinging, with @ValtteriBottas eventually succeeding 💪 pic.twitter.com/PUretC4cEr

— Formula 1 (@F1) January 9, 2022

The Flying Finn also said that while there was light always at the end of the tunnel at Mercedes, there was always a locked door waiting. Hakkinen said, “that uncertainty eats away at self-confidence. He did not get the credit he wanted from Mercedes.”

“If the mat is constantly pulled under your feet, then it will eat your self-confidence. Now Valtteri has the opportunity to drive in the stable in the long run, where he is trusted,” he further added.

Also Read: Nico Rosberg talks about faults in Valtteri Bottas that didn’t make his time in Mercedes success

Valtteri Bottas admits uncertainty has affected his performance

The Finnish racing driver has admitted that he had hoped for a longer stint with the Silver Arrows. However, he himself does not feel that satisfied with his tenure at Mercedes.

In his five years with the team, he never came close to fighting for the drivers’ title. Rather he was always believed to have been suppressed over Lewis Hamilton. Therefore, he made the call to move to Alfa Romeo when the opportunity presented itself.

However, earlier Bottas said that this move was not an easy decision for him. In the middle of the 2021 season, Mercedes wished to make a swap between the 32-year-old and George Russell as part of their drivers’ development program.

Even Williams was ready for the swap but Bottas had already confirmed his move to Alfa Romeo. Bottas said, “[It was] not easy. I really feel like Williams is on the upside now. I think they have a good future. But somehow I had a feeling that Alfa was the right thing for me.”

Also Read: Valtteri Bottas reveals why he chose Alfa Romeo over Williams after Mercedes exit