A few months ago, Mercedes and Valtteri Bottas announced they will part ways at the end of the 2021 season. Bottas would move to Alfa Romeo and his place would be taken by George Russell, marking an end to the Fin and the German team’s association of five seasons.
During those five seasons, there were moments in which Bottas was massively criticized, occasionally for his mistakes. But now that it’s all over, everybody can look at Bottas’ time at Mercedes as a whole. And Mercedes’ recent post suggests that they are indeed looking at it as a whole and realizing the void that Bottas’ departure is leaving them with.
In a Twitter post, Bottas is posing with his car and some of his trophies and the caption reads, “We wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”
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We wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them. 💙 pic.twitter.com/Cfh1Uuja5g
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 20, 2021
Surely fans all wish the same, don’t they?
Regardless, what this reminds fans of is another such parting message from the past. The message in question was from the driver to his team, the driver being Sebastian Vettel and the team being Red Bull.
Vettel’s message which was on the same line as the one for Valtteri Bottas
After the last race of his Red Bull career, Vettel said on his radio, “We have to remember these days. Because there is no guarantee they will last forever!”
“Enjoy them as long as they last, I love you guys.”
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In Vettel’s case, and until a few weeks ago, even in Red Bull’s case, this message turned out to be true. Because ever since Vettel and Red Bull parted ways, neither of them has been able to replicate the feats they were able to achieve together.
But looking ahead, to say that the next season is important for both Bottas and Vettel will be a massive understatement.
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The Aston Martin driver will look to bounce back from his spectacular slump in form and consistency. And the new Alfa Romeo driver will look to prove his former employees wrong about his role as a leader and a protagonist of a Formula 1 team.
Also Read: Sebastian Vettel Predicts Big Things for Valtteri Bottas Amid Mercedes F1 Exit ‘Shame’