© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Valtteri Bottas says Mercedes would have been his first option for 2022 and beyond had they offered him a multi-year contract.
Valtteri Bottas will be leaving Mercedes at the end of this season to go to Alfa Romeo on a three-year deal.
The Finn says having a multi-year contract for the first time in his career appealed to him.
“It’s a relaxing feeling,” Bottas told MTV in Finland.
“Everything is clear, and I know what will happen for the next three and a half years from now. It lifts a burden from the shoulders so I can focus on what I do.
“[A future contract extension] depends on a few different things, but yeah – I will be there for at least three years.
“That was really important to me. My whole career here has been one year at a time, so it’s good to have a project that really is for the longer term.
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“There’s no need to stress about my job as a driver for at least a few years.”
Bottas adds that the opportunity to be a “project leader” at Alfa Romeo appealed to him.
“Now I can really make a difference. The team has assured me that I am a bit like a project leader.
“Obviously, if you have more responsibility when you are saying something and it really happens, then yes it motivates you a lot.
“If Mercedes had offered a multi-year contract, it would certainly have been the number one option. But for one year, I would have left,” concluded the Finn.
