Valtteri Bottas joined the F1 Beyond The Grid podcast, hosted by Tom Clarkson, for a chat about his F1 career so far. The Finnish driver, who is contesting his second season with the Alfa Romeo team, shared his thoughts on the departure of Frédéric Vasseur to Ferrari and about the new management structure of the team.
After five season at the helm of Alfa Romeo, it was a major change seeing Vasseur walking out of the team to head to Italy. He is missed according to the 10-time Grand Prix winner.
“Of course we miss him. He was a big part of the team for a long time and I’ve known him for a long time. It’s no lie that he was one of the reasons I joined the team. Then the next year he left (laughs).
“But I understood him because it’s an opportunity that you don’t want to miss in Formula 1 in his role, so of course you go for it.”
“The main thing was that things are taken care of when he leaves, things are in order and there’s a right structure in the team. It was pretty seamless the way things went, the way Andreas (Seidl) and Alessandro (Alunni Bravi) stepped up. It’s been good to see and I actually feel like we’re in good hands with those leaders.”
Regarding how the Team Principal had communicated the news, Bottas explained he received a call from him directly, confirming the rumors and assuring him not to worry declaring “things are going to be in place.”
From his perspective, the Finnish driver perfectly understands the attraction of Ferrari: the 33-year-old also had conversations with the Maranello team in the past, but they never found an agreement.
“There was a long time ago. I can’t remember the exact year, but I think it was before Mercedes. But then after that, nothing serious because I was always committed to securing the Mercedes seat.”
Photo Credit: Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake
Concerning the new management structure of the team, Andreas Seidl has taken the lead and is now the CEO, joining from McLaren. Put to Bottas if he was surprised at the news that he was coming in, the Finn stated:
“I didn’t really have many names that I could choose and think who would be next. But then it kind of all made sense.
“He’s got good experience, he’s a super smart guy. He knows a lot about the sport and the technology as well.
“I think as a character, he’s the right type as well. He’s a bit German in a way — he can be very direct, which you kind of need.
“Of course he’s in the team for the long term now and I think he’s done a great job. But what he can do in the team, the future will show that. You can’t see immediate results in anything when you have a new boss.”
Talking about the things that impresses him the most about Seidl, the Alfa Romeo driver concluded:
“I think his motivation. He’s got very clear goals on what he wants to achieve and he’s very performance and result-driven, but at the same time he’s good with people.”
“I can definitely see the motivation there and that fire that you need in this sport — that’s good. But like I said, it’s still early days for him in the team and there’s still a lot to do. Time will tell.”
