Valtteri Bottas doesn’t want repeat of Mercedes ‘distraction’

Alfa Romeo’s driver lineup of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu will remain unchanged in 2023.

Valtteri Bottas’ Formula 1 career has been full of instability, with the Finn’s performances and future always being a hot topic in the paddock.

During his time with Mercedes, it was clear that Bottas did not have the ability to beat his legendary teammate Lewis Hamilton, an ability that not many drivers in the world have.

This made it almost inevitable that the Silver Arrows would eventually replace the Finn with George Russell, who was gaining valuable experience fighting at the back of the grid with Williams.

After constant rumours and one-year contract extensions, Bottas was replaced by Russell ahead of the 2022 season, leaving the 33-year-old to join Alfa Romeo on a multi-year contract.

READ: Toto Wolff cautions Lewis Hamilton and George Russell

The Finn has explained that he has relished the security of his role with Alfa Romeo, knowing that he would be at the team in 2023 without having to worry about his contract situation.

With his contract now set to expire at the end of the upcoming season, Bottas has claimed that he will be talking to the team about his contract as soon as possible, to keep the stability that he currently has with the team.

“I’ve been in that situation so many times where it’s become a distraction,” he told Autosport.

“So yeah, for sure, it’s going to be a talking point hopefully quite early [in the year] on what’s going to happen.

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“It is important to me to have that stability after 10 years of not so much stability.”

Bottas impressed during his first year with Alfa Romeo, scoring some strong points towards the beginning of the season before the team’s rivals began to out-develop them.

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With Sauber set to be taken over by Audi ahead of their entry into the sport in 2026, Bottas will be hoping that his performances impress the team enough to keep him with the team during this takeover.

Bottas has previously suggested that his experience could be key to the team as they enter the sport, meaning that keeping him around for the process could be a mutually beneficial decision.

Audi have claimed that their aim is to be winning races within a couple of years in the sport, making the project very appealing to every driver in 2026.