Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas is certainly loving life, with the Finnish driver continuing to look as relaxed as ever before, since leaving Mercedes at the end of 2021.
Bottas has performed excellently since leaving Mercedes before the start of the new aerodynamic regulations, with the Finnish driver having played an integral part in helping Alfa Romeo claim sixth in the standings last year.
2023 started strongly for Bottas last weekend at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, with the 33-year-old having finished eighth at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Off the circuit, Bottas continues to be one of the most popular drivers when it comes to social media, something he’s certainly embraced since moving to the Hinwil-based team.
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Something else which has gone from strength to strength is his friendship with former team-mate Lewis Hamilton, whom he recently shared a picture of on Instagram.
“Find someone who looks at you the way Lewis looks at me,” Bottas wrote on Instagram.
Leaving Mercedes has certainly helped Bottas come out of his shell, with the driver having admitted himself that there’s a “different atmosphere” at Alfa Romeo.
“It’s a different atmosphere. I mean, for sure, a big part of it is when you’re fighting for the title, then obviously pressure builds up and so on, but it’s a smaller team as well,” Bottas told reporters, including PlanetF1.com.
Bottas is currently in the middle of a multi-year deal with the side which reportedly expires at the end of 2025, something which encourages him to “feel more relaxed”.
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Not having the pressure of being in a leading team has also allowed Bottas to be “who I am”, something which has certainly been seen through his social media activity.
“I think, for me, probably one of the big things why maybe I feel more relaxed is the future is a bit more solid for the years to come than what it was before,” he said.
“I feel like I can truly be who I am. For sure, there’s a bit of a difference [compared to Mercedes]. I think company policies might be a bit different in different workplaces, let’s say, and so on. And some things might be a bit more restricted.”