Bottas ready to step out of Hamilton's shadow by becoming a team leader

Valtteri Bottas believes he is ready to become team leader at Alfa Romeo and effectively step out of a shadow cast by Lewis Hamilton's stunning success in F1.

Although Bottas has played his part in Mercedes' dominance of F1, helping the team win four constructors' championships, he has played second fiddle to Hamilton in the drivers' standings as the Briton has taken his title tally to seven.

After Bottas' move to Alfa Romeo was confirmed, team principal Fred Vasseur suggested the Finn was "always known as Lewis’ team-mate” and that at his team he would not be “in the shadow of someone”.

Commenting on Vasseur's remarks and whether he was ready to be a team leader, Bottas said: "That's why it's really exciting and interesting for me, to be in that kind of role, trying to help the team forward and work together.

"I don't know about the shadow. Obviously, if you look at the results, overall Lewis has been able to beat me every year, so in that sense, I've been in the shadow.

"But honestly now, I don't really feel it that way. We are a team, we're in it together.

"Unfortunately, I'm not fighting for the driver's world championship anymore this year, so I'm just fighting for the constructors' and that's the way it is.

"It is going to be a fresh start for me, and whoever my team-mate is going to be I hope we can work well together, but it's an interesting new era for me."

Bottas, meanwhile, has confirmed knowing of his fate a few weeks ago.

"I can say that I knew before Spa what was about to happen," revealed Bottas.

"Budapest was the last race before the summer break, and at that point, there was no decision made, but together we then made decisions in August."

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