"A bit of motivation" - Valtteri Bottas on attempts to ensure 'no one loses hope' at Alfa Romeo

Valtteri Bottas has taken up the role of keeping his Alfa Romeo team's morale high going into the new 2022 F1 season. The 32-year-old is keen to ensure no one in the Swiss outfit loses hope after a difficult bout during pre-season testing in Barcelona.

Valtteri Bottas joined Alfa Romeo after five seasons with frontrunner Mercedes alongside seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Now, the Finn has taken on a whole new role in a vastly different dynamic to what he was accustomed to with the Silver Arrows.

During an interview with The Race, Bottas discussed the mood in the Alfa Romeo camp. He spoke of how the team needs to remember its past glories while looking towards the new campaign, saying:

“I think it’s important to make sure that the people you work with know about the past and the history and the great moments the team has had before. There’s so much heritage with this team, with the brand as well, that maybe after a couple of tough years, people need a bit of a push, a bit of motivation that we can do it. I need to make sure that no one loses hope. And if you’ve done it before, if you’ve been at the top before, you can be there again. We need to work together on that to make sure that we know what is possible and achievable.”

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Team spirit can help boost performances in every area, claims Valtteri Bottas

Continuing in the same vein, Valtteri Bottas believes keeping the team in good spirits can go a long way in helping performances improve on multiple fronts.

With 178 F1 Grand Prix starts, 67 podiums and 10 wins to his name, the onus is on the Finn to lead Alfa Romeo, as well as his new rookie teammate, Guanyu Zhou.

Bottas intends to use all the knowledge he garnered during his time with the Silver Arrows to aid his new employers in 2022. He said:

“I’ve been inside a team that knows how to win, what it really takes in terms of the teamwork, in terms of the machinery and how you work. With the team spirit, I’ve learned so much that actually if you can get the spirit up, it really boosts the performance in every area. I’m going to help the team with all the experience and expertise I’ve gathered, I’ve learned. All my years in Formula 1 has made me so much stronger, so much smarter. So much stronger with the technical knowledge as well.”

Bottas and Co. underwent a turbulent outing at Barcelona, with various issues plaguing the Hinwil-based outfit throughout the three days of testing. They will now be hoping for a better outing with the new C41 in the second round of pre-season testing due to commence on March 10 in Bahrain.