Valtteri Bottas says it is important to him to leave Mercedes as the 2021 Constructors' champions. The Finn will take part in his final two races for the Silver Arrows in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi before he joins Alfa Romeo in 2022, but has not lost the motivation to help them in securing what would be their fifth team title together. "It is an important thing for me," Bottas told media including RacingNews365.com . "Even though I know I'm leaving, I'm still not giving up on any goals and what we have for this year. "[A] fifth [Constructors' title] together in a row would be something really special to be a part of. [It] would be better than four, so that's definitely a goal, and it's also a motivation for me to keep pushing." Mercedes are currently five points ahead of title rivals Red Bull in the Constructors' standings.
Looking to 2022
Bottas' focus might currently be on the remainder of the 2021 campaign but he is also looking forward to working alongside new rookie teammate Guanyu Zhou at Alfa Romeo next season. "Obviously [we'll be] welcoming him to Alfa with me next year," Bottas said. "[I'm] looking forward to working with him. I don't know him yet as a person that well, not sure I've ever properly met him, but I've obviously seen him around in the F2. "He's been there for some years and this year in particular did some good races, and [he's had] good results and good consistency. I think [he's] second in the championship with some wins, and he obviously knows how to drive. "[He's] quite young, but had a few good years in single-seaters, so [the] potential for sure is there." Bottas and Zhou will form a completely new line-up at Alfa Romeo in 2022, replacing Antonio Giovinazzi and the retiring Kimi Raikkonen, who has already been given an emotional send-off from the team .
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