Valtteri Bottas revelling in Alfa Romeo "freedom"

Valtteri Bottas after claiming pole position in Mexico — Photo: © LAT Images

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Bottas revelling in Alfa Romeo "freedom"

Bottas has signed the first multi-year contract of his F1 career

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Thursday 11 November 2021 21:15

Valtteri Bottas has put his recent streak of form down to the "freedom" offered to him by a multi-year contract at Alfa Romeo.

The Finn was announced as Kimi Raikkonen's replacement at the Hinwil-based team for 2022 onwards ahead of the Italian Grand Prix weekend in which Bottas took the fastest qualifying time and victory in the sprint.

Since then, he dominated at the Turkish Grand Prix and took pole in Mexico, turning around his fortunes from a difficult first period of the year.

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Since joining Mercedes, Bottas has never been given a contract lasting beyond a season and he believes this has been an effect on his performances.

"It probably had a bigger effect on me than I thought," said Bottas, when asked about how the Alfa Romeo deal has affected him.

"Once everything was done and I knew what I was going to do for the next few years, I felt, I don't know, more like freedom and less pressure in a way - like a weight lifted off my shoulders. That was the feeling.

"It is something I have never had before, that I know that actually, I can focus on something with the team with me for a few years ahead, not just focusing on one year.

"Normally, it is like six months I have to fight for my seat. Just being able to have that kind of trust from my team, that I know I am going to do the best I can for a few years, it feels good.

"I can just really focus on the job and think about what I am going to do next year."

One-year contracts don't work - Bottas

Bottas also endured one-year contracts during his time with Williams after joining the sport in 2013.

Now that he feels more content with the ability to plan for the future, the Mercedes driver has reflected that such contracts 'don't work'.

On whether it got harder throughout his stint at Mercedes to distract from the pressures of a short-term contract, Bottas explained: "It does.

"Again, everyone is individual with how they cope with pressure and which kind of pressure and what kind of length of the pressure.

"But for me, five years in that similar situation, never being able to think for longer than six months... it doesn't work.

"It was definitely easier in the beginning, even though there was always still discussions every year over who was going to be in the seat which was a distraction, and don't forget, it was a pretty similar thing for me with Williams more or less.

"There were always options in the contract. So basically it has been nine years, always, not being able to focus long-term. Now it is time for that so I am happy."