Valtteri Bottas joins Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN in multi-year deal
Valtteri Bottas will join Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN for the 2022 season and beyond, the Finnish driver signing a multi-year deal with the Hinwil-based team. Bottas, a nine-time Grand Prix winner, joins the team as it embarks on the crucial transition to the new era of Formula One, with sweeping regulation changes providing a unique opportunity to move towards the front of the grid.
Born in Nastola, Finland, on August 28th, 1989, Valtteri had a distinguished career in the junior formulas, becoming only the second driver to win both the Formula Renault Eurocup and the Formula Renault Northern European Cup in the same year, in 2008, and following this by winning the Masters of Formula 3 in both 2009 and 2010 – the first to achieve this double-triumph feat. A promotion to the GP3 Series saw Valtteri win four races and claim the title, demonstrating his readiness for the biggest stage of motorsport.
Debut in Formula One duly took place in 2013, with Williams, where Valtteri emerged as one of the brightest talents in the sport, before a promotion to Mercedes for 2017. There, the Finn would play a crucial role in securing four constructors’ titles, winning his first race in Sochi in 2017 and adding eight more first places to his tally, alongside a total of 54 podiums for the Brackley team.
Nine wins, 17 pole positions and 63 podiums are a strong introduction for Valtteri, World Championship runner-up in 2019 and 2020. Next year will bring a new page for the talent from Nastola. Joining Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN will allow Valtteri to put his experience at the competitive end of Formula One to use as he helps the team move up the rankings. With new regulations providing a great reset in the sport, the opportunity is there for team and driver to write a new, successful story together.
Welcome to Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN, VB77!
Valtteri Bottas, driver: “A new chapter in my racing career is opening: I’m excited to join Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN for 2022 and beyond for what is going to be a new challenge with an iconic manufacturer. Alfa Romeo is a brand that needs no introduction, they have written some great pages of Formula One history and it’s going to be an honor to represent this marque. The potential of the setup in Hinwil is clear and I am relishing the opportunity to help lead the team forward up the grid, especially with the new regulations in 2022 giving the team a chance to make a leap in performance. I’m grateful for the trust the team has put in me and I cannot wait to repay their faith: I’m as hungry as ever to race for results and, when the time comes, for wins. I know Fred [Vasseur] well and I am looking forward to getting to know the rest of the team I am going to work with, building relationships as strong as the ones I have at Mercedes. I am proud of what I have achieved in Brackley and I am fully focused on finishing the job as we fight for another world championship, but I am also looking forward to the new challenges that await me next year.”
Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal of Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN: “It is a pleasure to welcome Valtteri to the team and we are looking forward to our journey together. With him, we bring to Hinwil a strong team player with experience at the sharp end of the grid. Valtteri has been an integral part of a team that rewrote the history books and he has four constructors’ world titles to his name: he is the right driver to help Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN make a step forward towards the front of the grid. Our relationship goes back a long way, to when we worked together in successful campaigns in F3 and GP3, and his talent and skills have been evident ever since, only growing with the time: I’m really looking forward to seeing him put his ability to work for the good of the team. The multi-year deal bringing him to us gives both Valtteri and the team the stability we need to build our project at a crucial time for Formula One: we are excited for what the future holds in store.”
