Valtteri Bottas “not surprised Fred Vasseur has managed to improve Ferrari so quickly”. Valtteri Bottas reflects on Fred Vasseur steering Ferrari in a positive direction.

Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas has become a well-known figure in Formula 1. He spent his first four years racing for Williams, where he achieved podium finishes powered by the speedy Mercedes engine. In 2017, Valtteri Bottas made the leap to the Mercedes factory team, filling the seat left vacant by the recently retired Nico Rosberg.

As a teammate to the then three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas occasionally posed a challenge for the British driver, particularly during qualifying sessions. However, he ultimately had to concede to Lewis Hamilton’s dominance. After five years and ten victories with Mercedes, the Finnish driver transitioned to Alfa Romeo, now rebranded as Stake F1.

With his contract set to expire at the end of the current Formula 1 championship, the question remains: where will Valtteri Bottas be racing in 2025?

Valtteri Bottas has always been the type of driver who felt he needed to be know exactly how things would go with his new team before making a move: “I would like to be involved, but not in such a way that it distracts my race weekend. It’s about finding the right balance. But of course I want to be involved because it’s about my future, the years ahead of me. So I want to know what’s going on. The next time we can talk about it properly is probably Monday, because I have to focus on driving,” – the former Mercedes man stated in an interview during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend in Monte Carlo.

When the 34-year-old Finnish driver joined Alfa Romeo and collaborated briefly with current Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, he committed to a long-term project. This commitment reflects his current aspiration to engage in another long-term endeavor.

“I feel I need that,” stressed Valtteri Bottas. “I need a project with clear goals for the next few years. I’m not interested in a one-year contract just to be in the sport. I want to have something stable with goals that we can pursue together.”

Frederic Vasseur’s name came up briefly in his recent interview for racingnews365. Now serving as Ferrari’s team boss, the French manager appears to be steering the Italian side in a positive direction. Does Valtteri Bottas believe that, as in the past, a single individual can still guide a team’s trajectory?

“I believe so, I think that has been shown in the past. A good leader can organise things well, put people in the right positions, hire new people, and that can make a difference.” – the former Williams and Mercedes driver explained – “I think Fred has already shown that it has had a good effect for Ferrari and I think that can be true in the long run. He has shown in every category he has been heavily involved in, like Formula 2 and 3, that they were the best team. It’s funny how it goes with some people. I’m not surprised he’s managed to do this so quickly at Ferrari.” – the Finnish driver concluded.