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Valtteri Bottas is set to make his debut for the Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, with talks ongoing for Mercedes to release him to run for his new team.
The 32-year-old moves to the Sauber-run operation in 2022 after spending five seasons with Mercedes. Testing in Abu Dhabi will give him the chance to work with his new colleagues for the first time driving the Alfa Romeo 18-inch wheelrim mule car.
Each team can run two cars in the Abu Dhabi test – one 2021 car and one mule car.
The mule car can be used over two days – one day of which it must be piloted by an F1 driver who competed in the 2021 season – and the other car is this year’s specification that can be used on just one day and is reserved for young drivers with a maximum of two F1 starts during their career.
Only nine teams will run, with Williams prevented from attending thanks to not having provided a tyre-testing mule car.
While the agreement is not in place for Bottas to run, Alfa Romeo team principal Vasseur is confident it will happen. The Race understands that Mercedes sees no reason why this should not be the case, meaning it is very likely that Bottas will run in Abu Dhabi.
“We met Valtteri a couple of times and we are discussing with Mercedes to put him into the car in Abu Dhabi,” said Vasseur.
“It’s a completely new car next year and it’s different but on some systems it’s important for us, even if you have a simulator and can test a lot of things.
“It’s important to have feedback on what we are doing and on top of this, it’s also important to give him the ability to work with the team to know each other, to start to build up the relationship. It’s a good opportunity to do it.
“I have a good relationship with them [Mercedes] and Valtteri and for me it’s important. I hope that we achieve it.”
Vasseur said he has a good relationship with Bottas, who raced for his ART Grand Prix team in Formula 3/GP3 from 2009-2011 – winning the GP3 title in his final year with the team.
But while Vasseur mentioned Bottas had worked with Alfa Romeo head of trackside engineering Xevi Pujolar at Williams, he suggested “he’s probably the only one” that he’s worked with before. This underlines the value of giving Bottas time to integrate with the team ahead of the start of 2022.
Teams have used the Abu Dhabi test to do this in the past, with Fernando Alonso (pictured above) controversially being given dispensation to run in what was a rookies-only test last year ahead of his F1 return with Alpine this year.
In 2018, Ferrari ran Charles Leclerc ahead of his move to the team, with Sauber running returnee Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren giving Renault-contracted Carlos Sainz his first taste of driving with the team.
