Bottas set to be targeted by Alfa Romeo: Teams anxiously wait for Mercedes

Ball is in Mercedes' court

Bottas and George Russell are fighting this season for the second seat at Mercedes in 2022. Lewis Hamilton has already extended his contract, but a second driver is still needed. With Russell's exceptional performance at Williams, Toto Wolff can hardly ignore him, but Valtteri Bottas is also doing extremely well at Mercedes.

A difficult choice for Mercedes, but internally the decision has been made. Wolff told us that internally the decision is known, but that it hasn't been communicated to the drivers yet. This will be done during the summer break, after which an announcement will be made. However, the announcement would also take into account that another deal would be made for the driver who is not selected.

From the past interviews, hints could be found with Wolff, that would point at the arrival of Russell. The fact that sources then reported that Bottas' management had spoken to Alfa Romeo, may indicate that the Finn is already feeling the pinch. Williams seemed a logical move for Bottas. He is coming from there and Russell's departure will free up a place, but Alfa Romeo has other plans.

Bottas to Alfa Romeo?

Fred Vasseur has already said that this year he is not tied to drivers from a certain(Ferrari) training programme. Alfa Romeo itself has the choice for the new drivers. Kimi Raikkonen seems to have come to the end of his Formula 1 career and Antonio Giovinazzi is not sure of his place either.

Vasseur said that it is wait and see what Red Bull Racing and Mercedes do before the rest of the teams can start. With this, he would indicate the possible release of Bottas and also Sergio Perez. Alfa Romeo is coveting an experienced driver who can help the team take a step forward. Raikkonen has done the start, but no longer has the speed to help the team to the next step.

Bottas would be a strong driver for Alfa Romeo. Bottas has poles and race wins behind his name, knows what it's like to work within a top team, and is still very fast over one lap. He could fill Raikkonen's spot very well. He might not have the same fan base, but in terms of speed, it would have to be an improvement.

Choices for Williams

For the market, this would mean two things: 1. Ferrari juniors have bad luck and 2. A spot becomes available at Williams. As far as the Ferrari juniors are concerned this is particularly bad news for Robert Shwartzman and Callum Ilott. They still hope for a place in F1 as Ferrari-juniors, but it seems that they will only get that chance if Antonio Giovinazzi has to make way as well.

For Williams, this also makes for an interesting situation. If Williams want to live up to their words that they will choose the fastest drivers, then it seems logical that Nicholas Latifi will have to leave. With the new investor in place, Williams won't need that money so badly anymore and will be better off looking at faster drivers, and at least one driver who can pull the cart.

If Bottas is not available, Daniil Kvyat and Nico Hulkenberg suddenly come into the picture again. Both have a lot of experience in the sport, and although Kvyat clearly has his ups and downs, they have both shown a lot of speed in the past.

Deal with Alpine?

The second driver would then perhaps be more focused on the future. A young driver with speed. Dan Ticktum is their much talked about test driver, but the question is whether he is fit for a step up to Formula 1. With Alpine holding on to Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, it might be an option to borrow their talented Formula 2 class leader: Oscar Piastri. He won the F3 title, is now leading F2 as a rookie, but there is no place for him at Alpine. Who knows, maybe Alpine can put some money down to get him in the seat at Williams.

Another name that has been mentioned is Nyck de Vries. He drives for Mercedes in Formula E, and as a former F2 champion he also has a lot of experience. Stoffel Vandoorne, however, seems more logical, as he also has experience in F1.

This article originally appeared on the Dutch edition of GPblog.com, written by Tim Kraaij.