Valtteri Bottas could be targeted by Alfa Romeo for a seat in 2022, according to reports. Speculation has been rife about who will be Lewis Hamilton's teammate at Mercedes next year, with team boss Toto Wolff revealing that it will either be Bottas or George Russell. There has previously been talk of Bottas returning to Williams should he lose his seat at the Silver Arrows, but sources have reportedly revealed that he is on Alfa Romeo's list as a potential driver for them in 2022. It seems likely that Bottas could be considered as a replacement for fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen, whose contract expires at the end of this season. The 41-year-old has had mixed fortunes so far during 2021. Whilst reports suggest that there have been no talks as of yet between Bottas and Alfa Romeo, it is thought that there has been brief contact regarding Bottas' possible availability next year. Any further moves would seemingly not happen until Mercedes have made a decision on their driver line-up. RacingNews365 journalist Dieter Rencken previously spoke about the possibility of a Bottas to Alfa Romeo move in a recent edition of the RN365 F1 Podcast with Thomas Maher. "I'm hearing that one of the replacements for Kimi, assuming he doesn't continue next year, could possibly be Valtteri Bottas," Rencken said. "I know that that sounds almost too leftfield to be true, but there are various pointers, which would suggest that Valtteri could actually end up there. "He's, he's very well spoken. He's clean cut, and he's very presentable. Alfa Romeo, assuming they continue with the Sauber team and I believe that the the contract is going to be extended shortly, would need that sort of brand ambassador. Valtteri would tick that box." It appears that Bottas' future will not become clear until after the upcoming summer break, with Wolff stating that Mercedes will make their decision during the season hiatus in August.
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