Hakkinen: 'Bottas didn't get the credit he wanted from Mercedes'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Mika Hakkinen is confident that countryman Valtteri Bottas will succeed at his new team Alfa Romeo. Bottas has a multi-year contract for the first time and with it he is finally getting enough confidence from an F1 team believes Hakkinen.
One-year deals at Mercedes
Bottas will make the switch from Mercedes to Alfa Romeo in 2022. The Finn had driven five seasons for the German brand where he signed a one-year deal each time. From 2022, George Russell will take over his spot at Mercedes.
Two-time World Champion Hakkinen thinks Bottas has a good chance of succeeding at his new team in Formula One. "But now he can prepare for the long term," the Finn said at SuomiF1.com. According to Hakkinen, those one-year deals were not beneficial for Bottas. "That uncertainty eats away at confidence. He didn't get the credit he wanted from Mercedes."
The confidence of Alfa Romeo
Bottas does seem to be getting that trust at Alfa Romeo. The Finn has signed a multi-year deal, something he has never had before in his time in Formula One. The 32-year-old Finn will have rookie Guanyu Zhou as his teammate.