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 times that reinforce Mercedes' strong start to F1's first Qatar GP
Mercedes arrived in Qatar off the back of Lewis Hamilton’s stunning win in Brazil and it ended the first day of running on top at the Losail track. While it’s not just on one-lap pace where the Black Arrows squad looks good again versus Red Bull, there’s signs of encouragement in the data for Max Verstappen’s squad too
The benefits resulting from F1’s growing Middle Eastern influence
Formula 1’s expansion into new territories hasn’t been greeted with uniform positivity but, says BEN EDWARDS, the Middle East and Africa represent important new territory for motorsport - and the benefits are already starting to emerge
The principles at stake in the Verstappen/Hamilton Turn 4 clash
OPINION: The FIA's decision not to investigate Max Verstappen for his move to repel Lewis Hamilton's challenge for the lead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, which resulted in both going off the track, has become the latest polarised incident in the dramatic 2021 Formula 1 title battle. Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on, the lack of consistency from those upholding the rules should be seen as a point of concern
How F1 2021's other new tracks will impact the Verstappen-Hamilton title fight
OPINION: For the first time since the mid-1980s, Formula 1 is closing out a season with two new races in a championship’s pivotal final three. Add in the changes at the Abu Dhabi finale and Mercedes and Red Bull suddenly have plenty of additional hurdles to cover before one finally triumphs in 2021’s thrilling title fight
Why Giovinazzi's lack of progress has taken him out of the F1 game
With Guanyu Zhou taking the final seat left for 2022's Formula 1 season at Alfa Romeo, incumbent Antonio Giovinazzi is out of a drive. Although Zhou's backing has helped sweeten the deal, Giovinazzi's F1 form has stagnated throughout his three years in the championship
Brazilian Grand Prix Driver Ratings
The final trial of F1's new sprint race format in 2021 delivered arguably its best spectacle yet, as the qualifying pace-setter surged from the back to a memorable win over the two events. Meanwhile, for others, it was a weekend to forget on the long-awaited return to Interlagos
How a Mercedes "Achilles' heel" cost Verstappen in Hamilton's Interlagos masterclass
The qualifying exclusion which forced Lewis Hamilton to start from the back of the 2021 Interlagos sprint appeared to put Max Verstappen in the box seat for the Brazilian Grand Prix. But a common issue for Mercedes this year for once worked against the Red Bull ace, as Hamilton's rapid Mercedes stormed to a memorable comeback win
The hope and alarm Mercedes faces versus Red Bull in F1’s main 2021 Interlagos race
Although Mercedes has been mired in controversy for much of Formula 1’s 2021 Interlagos weekend, it still ended the sprint race in an excellent position. There are signs it could be in for repeat glory in the grand prix, while others highlight major dangers that favour Red Bull