Bottas joined Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season after spending 5 years with Mercedes, scoring 10 wins for the Silver Arrows and serving to it win the constructors’ championship in all 5 seasons.
However the Finn was by no means in a position to compete frequently with teammate Lewis Hamilton, who gained the drivers’ title in all however one in all their seasons collectively.
Bottas has taken up extra of a senior group chief function with Alfa Romeo, partnering rookie Zhou Guanyu, and has scored 41 of its 46 factors thus far this season.
Chatting with Motorsport.com in an interview forward of the summer time break, Bottas defined that he feels a higher degree of duty with Alfa Romeo than he did at Mercedes, making him suppose extra in regards to the group’s long-term plans.
“I positively really feel it, that I need to actually assist push the group in the proper course,” Bottas.
“It makes me additionally suppose at all times twice, ‘OK, is that this actually the course we need to go to or not?’ It is actually attention-grabbing.
“Even for like, subsequent yr’s automotive, at all times after I hear updates and every little thing, for me, it is actually attention-grabbing to be so concerned technically as effectively. I can already begin to think about like how the automotive handles.”
Requested if he felt a change in mindset when tackling automotive growth in comparison with when he was with Mercedes, Bottas stated: “Sure. I by no means managed to be that concerned with Mercedes.
Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo C42
Picture by: Alfa Romeo
“It was extra like the pc says that this sort of automotive goes to be the quickest. Most instances it labored. However now it is also good to have the human impact.”
Bottas informed Motorsport.com in the identical interview that he felt 2022 had in all probability been his most pleasing season to this point in F1, aided by the lowered degree of stress in comparison with what he confronted with Mercedes.
Alfa Romeo F1 boss Frederic Vasseur stated he may “completely think about” that was the case for Bottas, though he warned towards the Finn changing into too relaxed as he seemed to guide the group ahead.
“For certain, you’ve extra stress on you at Mercedes, and he was at all times within the shadow of Lewis, at all times on a short-term contract,” Vasseur informed Motorsport.com.
“I do not need to put him in a relaxed state of affairs, as a result of this isn’t good additionally for the efficiency. However by some means to ship him the message that he has the complete assist of the group.
“I feel you probably have a take a look at all the great sporting initiatives within the final 20 years, it was at all times constructed up across the drivers.”