Mercedes has "not seen Bottas as relaxed as he is now" in F1
Mercedes has "not seen Valtteri Bottas as relaxed as he is now" since signing an Alfa Romeo deal for 2022, according to the Formula 1 team's trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin.
In early September Mercedes announced it had signed Williams' George Russell to partner Lewis Hamilton for 2022 and beyond, with Valtteri Bottas moving to Alfa Romeo on a multi-year deal.
Ever since the deal was announced, Bottas has seemingly been flourishing, taking his first win of the campaign in Turkey and scoring three poles in addition to two sprint race wins.
Bottas admitted that his long-term contract with Alfa Romeo "felt almost like a weight lifted off the shoulders", having signed his first proper multi-year deal in F1 instead of having to fight for his seat at both Williams and Mercedes.
When asked if Mercedes had seen a change in Bottas, the Brackley outfit's trackside engineering director Shovlin admitted that he hadn't seen the Finn "as relaxed" as he is now.
"Valtteri has always had a lot of a lot of speed there," Shovlin told Sky Sports F1 in Qatar.
"I think as he said, knowing what his future is, having a long-term contract has been quite a big thing.
"He's just driving because he loves driving and the car's working well, and he's having a lot of fun out there, so we've not seen Valtteri as relaxed as he is now.
"And he's doing a brilliant job for us, so we're happy."
Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
As team-mate Hamilton conceded he was off the pace on Friday, Bottas led the way in the Qatar Grand Prix's second practice session, which is most representative of qualifying and race conditions at Losail's inaugural F1 night race.
Shovlin said "Valtteri looked like the man out there" and is confident Hamilton will get more comfortable with his Mercedes W12 on Saturday.
"Valtteri was quick on a single lap, very good on a long run," he added.
"And if the car's working well, then we'll get the car working well with Lewis. So for us, it's been an encouraging Friday from that point of view.
"It's a new circuit for us; we do a lot of simulation work and then you put the car on track and the big question is does simulation match what we're seeing on the circuit.
"The car's working well, happily, it's coming about where we expected to be honest. And Valtteri has had a really, really strong day from him. So overall, yeah, we're pretty pleased with it."
Related video
What is going on with Red Bull’s flappy F1 rear wing
F1 teams tell drivers to avoid hitting Qatar kerbs after practice damage
The “glorified taxi” driver central to F1’s continued safety push
As the driver of Formula 1’s medical car, Alan van der Merwe’s job is to wait – and hope his skills aren’t needed. JAMES NEWBOLD hears from F1’s lesser-known stalwarts
When BMW added F1 'rocket fuel' to ignite Brabham's 1983 title push
There was an ace up the sleeve during the 1983 F1 title-winning season of Nelson Piquet and Brabham. It made a frontrunning car invincible for the last three races to see off Renault's Alain Prost and secure the combination's second world title in three years
How “abysmal” reliability blunted Brabham’s first winner
Brabham’s first world championship race-winning car was held back by unreliable Climax engines – or so its creators believed, as STUART CODLING explains
The steps Norris took to reach a new level in F1 2021
Lando Norris came of age as a grand prix driver in 2021. McLaren’s young ace is no longer an apprentice or a quietly capable number two – he’s proved himself a potential winner in the top flight and, as STUART CODLING finds out, he’s ready to stake his claim to greatness…
The original F1 maestro who set the bar for Schumacher and Hamilton
Juan Manuel Fangio, peerless on track and charming off it, established the gold standard of grand prix greatness. NIGEL ROEBUCK recalls a remarkable champion
How Russell sees his place in the Mercedes-Hamilton F1 superteam
George Russell joining Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes this year gives it arguably the best line-up in Formula 1 – if it can avoid too many fireworks. After serving his apprenticeship at Williams, Russell is the man that Mercedes team believes can lead it in the post-Hamilton era, but how will he fare against the seven-time champion? Autosport heard from the man himself
How F1 pulled off its second pandemic season and its 2022 implications
OPINION: The Formula 1 season just gone was the second to be completed under the dreaded shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, but in many ways it was much more ‘normal’ than 2020. Here’s the story of how the championship’s various organisers delivered a second challenging campaign, which offers a glimpse at what may be different next time around
The adapt or die mentality that will shape F1's future
As attitudes towards the motor car and what powers it change, Formula 1 must adapt its offering. MARK GALLAGHER ponders the end of fossil fuels