Bottas explained why he chose Alfa Romeo and not Williams

Valtteri Bottas explained in a recent interview that when leaving Mercedes he had the option of returning to Williams but preferred to switch to Alfa Romeo.

At the end of last season, the Finn ended his five-year collaboration with the Mercedes team. With the silver arrows, they decided to offer an opportunity to Georg Russell in their team. The Englishman, who spent the first three seasons in Formula 1 with Williams, is considered one of the most talented racers of the new generation.

Bottas thus had the opportunity to take a vacancy at Williams, but preferred to move to Alfa Romeo, where he will replace his compatriot Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn made his debut in Formula 2013 with Williams in 1. He played for the team for four seasons before replacing Nico Rosberg at Mercedes.

Asked by reporters whether he had the opportunity to stay with the team that uses the Mercedes powertrain in the future, he replied:

“Yes, there was that possibility. There weren’t many options for me in the long run at the time. There were only two - either a return to Williams or a transfer to Alfa Romeo. "

The decision was not an easy one

Deciding where to move, he said, was not an easy one. He decided a good sense of the future at Alfa Romeo.

"It was not an easy decision. I tried to get as much information as possible from both sides, while taking into account my inner feeling. It was not easy. I think Williams is on the rise now and they have a bright future ahead of them. But somehow I felt that switching to Alpha was the right step for me. ”

One of the reasons was also that Alfa uses a Ferrari powertrain, which is another change for him considering that he has spent most of his career in Formula 1 driving racing cars with a Mercedes powertrain.

“I also like the fact that I transferred to a team that does not use a Mercedes engine. So there is no connection with them anymore, which suits me. ”

"Everything is completely new to me, completely different from what I've been used to."

Bottas signed a multi-year contract with the team. This season, however, he will share the garage with rookie Guanyu Zho.