Valtteri Bottas left the Mercedes F1 team at the end of the 2021 season, having played a part in the team winning 5 constructor's titles.
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Lewis Hamilton losing the Formula 1 title in 2021 ended up costing teammate Valtteri Bottas certain bonuses, the Finn revealed.
Bottas left the Mercedes F1 team at the end of the 2021 season, having played a part in the team winning 5 constructor’s titles.
Their split was by and large and amicable one. And Bottas is not out of an F1 seat either; he will be part of the Alfa Romeo side for the 2022 season and beyond.
However, the fact that Hamilton did not win the 2021 title ended up ensuring Bottas made a little less money too.
“Yes, you’re right. Certain bonuses are tied to certain achievements. Luckily, I hadn’t gotten anything in advance,” Bottas told the Supla podcast.
It is a bit of a surprise that this was the case. However, F1 has long been a team sport in this regard at least. And in the past, Bottas has played the team game perfectly.
It led to him being a part of the team for 5 solid years. And besides becoming a multi-time race winner, he also earned himself a good chunk of money.
But for Bottas, the aim isn’t money any longer. By his own admission, he is at that point when he doesn’t need to worry about the financial side.
“I don’t really measure it like that but at some point, a moment came when there was no need to look at the bank balance anymore,” he said.
“Money is of course a big thing in Formula 1. But I remember where I come from and I have done quite well because of that.”
Bottas is a driver who divides opinion among fans and the paddock alike. Some feel he was held back by a Mercedes team clearly built around Hamilton; others felt he reached his ceiling as a dependable teammate but little else.
But he will take up a new challenge at the Alfa Romeo F1 team. The Swiss-Italian side will present Bottas with a whole new aspect of racing.
Alfa Romeo had, on average, only the 7th fastest car on the grid in 2021. And they finished a lowly 9th in the constructor’s standings, ahead only of Haas.
The team will hope to produce a package that can at least compete for points finishes in the 2022 season. But it will be a tall order for Bottas, especially since he will be the team leader in this case.
That is because his teammate will be rookie Guanyou Zhou, F1’s first Chinese driver and someone who has spent 4 seasons in Formula 2 prior to this.
