Valtteri Bottas conveys serenity. After a long lap on the streets of La Thuile at the wheel of the new Alfa Romeo Tonale, with the new teammate Guanyu Zhou sitting next to him, Bottas like a good Finn takes off his jacket and stays in his shirt.
A sip of water and he is ready to answer questions. For the first time in his career, Valtteri is no longer a secondary variable, but a cornerstone of a project. Getting off the Mercedes is obviously not easy, but Alfa Romeo has been able to grasp two aspects that have breached: a two-year contract and the role of reference driver for the team.
Today Bottas is a gratified professional, obviously positive signs from the track will also be needed, but after so many seasons in which half of the questions he was asked were about contract renewals, he can finally look to the future in longer terms.
Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo Racing
Photo by: Alfa Romeo
The role has changed and the objectives have changed, today Bottas is aiming for a season with the points area within reach, and dreams of a podium in Alfa Romeo colors.
What has changed in preparation for the season? Did you do something different or was it the same kind of work you did in the past?
“It wasn’t the usual preparation, because I had to meet so many new people. It was a feeling a bit similar to the one I had when I joined Mercedes, in these circumstances it certainly takes a bit more time to adapt to a new context. “
“I went to Hinwil several times at the end of last year, then I took a nice break as I was back from a rather long and tiring season, I managed to escape to Australia for two and a half weeks, it was very nice”.
“I resumed work in the second half of January, I concentrated a lot on the simulator and on the knowledge of the staff, luckily today you can also use the remote connections for meetings, and this also helped. In the end it was a bit of a winter. “More expensive in terms of time than last year, when I was on the eve of a season that I would have raced with a team in which I knew everything and everyone well. So, in this sense, yes, a demanding preparation”.
Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo C42, during the shakedown in Fiorano
Photo by: Davide Cavazza
You had the chance to compare the Mercedes simulator with the Alfa Romeo one. What differences did you find?
“Alfa Romeo started working on this simulator less than two years ago, while Mercedes I think started ten years ago. When you are at the beginning of a project you cannot expect it to be flawless, there is work to be done, and much of the simulation we did, especially the first few days, involved the development of the simulator itself. “
“It is an important goal, bringing the simulator to a perfect correlation with the track is crucial. As for the work done on the simulation of the new single-seater, it is not yet perfectly verifiable, since I have not yet driven the car in dry conditions. Barcelona we will go home and try to do some correlation work. But in general it is becoming a very good simulator, the platform is great, in the end it is a question of software and hardware but it is the tuning that makes the difference. “.
You come from Brackley, one of the most high tech headquarters in the world. What impressed you the most when you entered the Hinwil office for the first time?
“I had never visited Hinwil before. I couldn’t really imagine what I would find, and I saw that they have very good facilities, obviously from the days of BMW. I think they invested a lot in the factory, starting with the wind tunnel, good facilities. Perhaps the thing that surprised me the most is to see fewer people in the factory, as if it were less busy with staff in the various departments. The first thing I thought is that it can also be a speed advantage when it comes to action, you don’t need to go through ten people, you can just go to one person and explain what needs to be done. “
Bottas on the Alfa Romeo C42 at the end of the test at Fiorano
Photo by: Davide Cavazza
You did a few laps in Fiorano. Was it your first time with the track too?
“Yes, it was my first time, yes, and it was all very good. In the past I have seen many test videos at Fiorano, and being there in person was special. The track has everything you need, high, low and medium speed, so it’s a good place for a shakedown too, only the weather wasn’t on our side, we had four degrees of temperature and a wet track so we were forced to use wet tires all day “.
“But the first sensation was pleasant, in reality it didn’t seem that different from previous years, if we talk about driving sensations it’s not like going from night to day”.
“Undoubtedly you feel that the car is a bit heavier, I think it’s 43 kilos heavier by regulation, and it also feels slightly bigger. Maybe it’s a feeling that comes from the bigger tires too, in the end you have the feeling of driving a more voluminous car, but in terms of handling and load it is, as a first impression, a big difference. But this is what I can say after driving in the wet, obviously the real test will be next week in Barcelona “.
Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo Racing
Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images
For the first time in your career, you have had the opportunity to sign a multi-year contract. How do you feel considering that you won’t need to negotiate this coming summer?
“It’s a good feeling! And in the end I feel I deserve it, when every year you have to face the same situation over and over again it becomes tiring. For the first time I am also in a position to think long term, all the work I do now with the team, all the feedback I give, I know it will help me again next year, is a beautiful and motivating feeling. So yes, I’m really happy ”.
What are your driving expectations with this new generation of cars? Are you expecting a nice surprise?
“I am impatient to verify this, the new regulations impose limitations on several areas, so I expect a season in which the margins between the teams will be closer, with more drivers going on the podium, some changes in the hierarchies of the top-10 and I think that even small teams will have more opportunities “.
“So I think it could be an interesting season. We will have to check how the cars will behave when you are in the slipstream of an opponent, if indeed the situation has improved in that context, but I believe that already the larger wing will increase the DRS effect. . I think it will be a great championship for those who drive and for those who watch ”.
Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo C42
Photo by: Davide Cavazza
Among the novelties of your 2022 there is also the role of reference driver of the team …
“For the first time in my career I am the most experienced driver in the team, I think the time has also come for this because I am starting my 10th season in Formula 1. I feel I have the responsibility to lead the team and give everything I have. . I also represent an important brand like Alfa Romeo, and it’s a great responsibility ”.
Has anyone followed you from Mercedes to Alfa Romeo?
“My coach, and nobody else apart from him”
Do you still have a dream at this point in your career?
“I have not yet given up on the goal I have, and that is to one day win the championship. But now my dream is to give the team a good step forward. If this season we can confirm ourselves in the points. regularly it would already be a great milestone, then… obviously I dream a little secretly of getting on the podium with an Alfa Romeo. It would be a great milestone “.
Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo C42
Photo by: Davide Cavazza
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