Before Becoming Lewis Hamilton’s Trusted Wingman, Valtteri Bottas Had a Tempting F1 Offer From Mercedes’ Rivals

From 2014 to 2016, Lewis Hamilton did not share the most cordial relationship with his teammate, Nico Rosberg. The Mercedes drivers were practically each other’s only competition and often had on and off-track altercations. After Rosberg’s departure from the team, the Silver Arrows brought in Valtteri Bottas who shared a great camaraderie with the Briton for 5 years. However, his career could have taken a whole different trajectory had he taken up a tempting offer from one of the most sought-after teams in the sport.

During his time with the Brackley-based outfit, Valtteri played nothing but the team game. The team prioritized Hamilton’s results over his own and the Finn did not object. He was often asked to let Hamilton pass during a race, and while it irked him, he never refused to obey. Away from the track, their friendship flourished and has continued despite his move to Alfa Romeo at the end of the 2021 season.

Valtteri Bottas reveals the offer he refused before moving to Mercedes

Just like George Russell, Bottas arrived at Mercedes after proving his worth at Williams. The Finn was mighty impressive in his early days and caught the attention of many teams. Among those was Ferrari.

Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast recently, when host Tom Clarkson asked him if the Prancing Horse approached him in 2019, he told, “There was a long time ago. Can’t remember the exact year, but I think it was before Mercedes. But then after that, nothing serious because I was committed to the Mercedes seat and so on. But yeah, it is how it is.”

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Currently employed at Alfa Romeo, Bottas is having the time of his life. From the way he looks to how candidly he talks, everything has changed. And his good friend Lewis is definitely loving this side of his.

Lewis Hamilton was happy that Bottas found his mojo

Dating an Australian Olympian cyclist, Tiffany Cromwell, Bottas has certainly taken to the laid-back Aussie lifestyle. Before the start of the season, he spent a long vacation in the land down under and grew a mustache and a mullet. To the fans who have followed his journey in F1, the look was certainly eye-catching. Valtteri one-upped himself when he arrived for a press conference ahead of the Australian GP in shorts, a tank top, and flip-flops.

Glad to see his old mate enjoying his life, Hamilton, as per Motorsport Week, said, “It’s great, I just saw Valtteri in flip flops right now with his tan lines around his socks, his sock line!”

“It’s great to see him flourish and feeling more and more a part of himself and knowing where he wants to go.”

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Citing their busy schedules and having not much time to themselves, Lewis talked about the importance of drivers discovering themselves.