Valtteri Bottas, a Formula One driver, will leave Mercedes at the end of the season to replace retiring Kimi Raikkonen at Alfa Romeo.
Bottas has signed a multiyear contract with Alfa Romeo, paving the way for George Russell to replace him at Mercedes.
Bottas’ Mercedes career never really got off once he replaced Nico Rosberg, and it’s a sad end for him (who retired after winning the 2016 series championship).
Despite winning four races in his Mercedes career, including the Russian Grand Prix, the Finn never mounted a serious title challenge as Rosberg did in 2014 and 2016.
Bottas, 32, won the Russian Grand Prix in September of last year, the most recent of his nine victories.
He has gone 20 races without a win after winning twice last year and three times this year, and is on track for his first winless season since 2018, when he finished sixth in the points standings.
After 13 races, Bottas is third overall, roughly 100 points behind teammate Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
He now will relaunch his career at a team where he will be under much less pressure, taking a spot that opened with the impending retirement of Raikkonen.
“A new chapter in my racing career is opening,” Bottas said. “I am relishing the opportunity to help lead the team forward up the grid, especially with the new regulations in 2022 giving the team a chance to make a leap in performance.”
Bottas has worked with Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur in the F3 and GP3 competitions.
“The multiyear deal bringing him to us gives both Valtteri and the team the stability we need to build,” Vasseur said. “We are excited for what the future holds in store.”
Russell has excelled for Williams in a much slower car, showing his full potential in qualifying at the rain-soaked Belgian GP two races ago. In the shortened race, he came in second.
Russell had been told he had a spot at Mercedes in 2022 before the race, but he couldn’t say anything since he couldn’t yet.
He’s already driven for Mercedes once.
Russell took over for Hamilton at the Sakhir GP in December when the British driver was diagnosed with COVID-19, and despite having little time to adjust to the car, he qualified second behind Bottas.
The uniforms of Formula One racing drivers are currently available at the following websites for a reasonable price:
