"I didn't have that feeling at Mercedes"- Valtteri Bottas on having greater responsibility at Alfa Romeo

Valtteri Bottas revealed in an interview that he feels he has more responsibility since his move to Alfa Romeo this season. His primary task at Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton's teammate was to drive. However, since his move to Alfa Romeo, there has been a change in his role, which has made him feel more responsible.

"I feel the responsibility and the trust that is given to me here to make the car and the team better. My role here is far more than just driving the car. And yes, I didn't have that feeling at Mercedes."

Bottas moved from Williams to Mercedes in 2017 after Nico Rosberg retired from the sport following his win at the F1 World Championship. He was Hamilton's teammate and spectators referred to him as the "secondary driver" for the team. When asked about the same, Bottas stated that he wouldn't label anyone as a number one or number two driver.

"I can only confirm that. I don't want to use the word number 1 driver."

He helped Hamilton many times and was recognized as an amazing teammate by Toto Wolff as well. Bottas was seen defending for Lewis, and was sometimes asked to slow down to let him pass-by and win the race. He almost never ignored any of the team orders and was a fine driver for the team. Valtteri played a major role in Mercedes' dominance in the four years he spent as part of it.

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Valtteri Bottas reveals he has more responsibility than just driving for Alfa Romeo

After Kimi Raikkonen retired from the sport post the 2021 season, the team let go off their second driver, Antonio Giovinazzi as well. This opened up places for Valtteri Bottas, who was replaced by George Russell at Mercedes and Zhou Guanyu, who previously competed in Formula 2. Since Guanyu had almost no experience of being in an F1 team or driving an F1 car, Bottas was given the major responsibilities.

He disclosed that he has many more tasks at Romeo than he did at Mercedes. The Finnish driver has certainly been enjoying his time with the team as he is involved in many development programs and is primarily responsible for the team's points.

Although he was let go by Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas recently revealed that he is still close friends with Hamilton and they talk on a regular basis. He currently stands 10th in the championship with 46 points in his bag.