Valtteri Bottas debuted in the F1 series with Williams in 2013. His career almost started earlier and in a completely different team.
Valtteri Bottas debuted in the F1 series with Williams in the 2013 season. Antti Nikkanen
Beat Zehnder says that Sauber was close to an agreement with Valtteri Bottas for the 2012 season.
If an agreement had been reached, the Finnish driver’s career could look completely different.
The stable needed money
Sauber was quite competitive in the 2012 season. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
The team manager of the Swiss team that runs Alfa Romeo’s F1 operations reveals to Iltalehti that he negotiated with Bottas, who was still driving in the lower formula classes at the time, about the F1 driving position.
– I paid attention to Valtteri’s driving skills already in 2009. Two years later I contacted his manager to Didier Coton and I said I wanted to hire Valtteri for Sauber for the next season, says Zehnder.
Bottas won the GP3 series (now F3) in the 2011 season. The championship raised his shares in the driver’s market appreciably.
Bottas already belonged to the Williams camp at that time. That still didn’t stop Sauber from approaching the Finnish driver.
Despite Sauber’s willingness, the contract negotiations ultimately did not progress anywhere near the moment of signing.
– We wouldn’t have been able to afford Valtteri. At that time, our team’s finances were in poor oxygen after BMW left us a couple of years earlier. We then needed drivers who brought a lot of money with them, Zehnder admits.
In the 2012 season, they competed with Sauber Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez. The Sauber of that year was quite a competitive car. Perez came close to winning the Malaysian GP. The Mexican took three podiums during the season, and Kobayashi also made it to the podium during the season.
Perez’s excellent grip earned him a place at the top team McLaren for the next season. However, the Mexican’s season in the British team was very difficult, and he only lasted one season. After years at Force India and Racing Point, Perez got his big break when he was snapped up by Red Bull Max Verstappen’s as a team mate for the 2021 season.
A valuable asset
Beat Zehnder is very satisfied with Bottas’ grips. Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake
Bottas was Williams’ test driver for the 2012 season. The British team brought in a Finn who gained experience in the Friday tests as their race driver for the next season.
After four seasons with Williams, Bottas moved to Mercedes, where he replaced the new world champion Nico Rosberg’s.
Five seasons at Mersu matured Bottas into a top driver in the series. When his time at Silver Arrow finally came to an end, Zehnder was finally able to redeem his ten-year-old offer.
– Valtteri is a very valuable resource for our team. He is fast, technically very skilled and a very good motivator, Zehnder praises.
Bottas showed his worth especially at the beginning of last season. The Finn fought for a huge points pot for Alfa Romeo, which guaranteed sixth place in the valuable manufacturers’ series at the end of the season.
– Valtteri drove wonderfully. It was a shame that he lost at least twenty points because of the unreliability of our car. But Valtteri never complained. On the contrary, he encouraged everyone to work harder to get everything right, says Zehnder.
Cooler than Kimi
No fewer than four Finnish drivers have driven for Sauber under Zehnder.
Kimi Raikkonen drove for the team in 2001 and just before Bottas in 2019–2021.
Even though Räikkönen came to be known as the cold and cool Iceman, Bottas is actually the calmer guy behind the wheel.
– Kimi let his feelings be heard. Bottas is the complete opposite of him, says Zehnder.
He gives an example of Bottas’ cool behavior even in heated race situations.
– In one race Lance Stroll pushed Valtteri off the track. The other drivers would certainly have been furious and waved their hands at the situation, but Valtteri just calmly reported on the team radio “Stroll pushed me off the track, investigate the situation”. It was such a coolly spoken comment in the situation that I was confused myself. How can someone keep their composure in such a great way, Zehnder laughs.