Bottas admits ’I couldn’t beat Hamilton’

Valtteri Bottas says he is enjoying his "completely different role" at Alfa Romeo in 2022.

The Finn admitted recently that he almost quit Formula 1 altogether during his tenure as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes.

"It was often a tough role," Bottas, 32, told Kronen Zeitung newspaper.

"I had thought to myself that maybe I could win the world championship. But at some point I had to realise that I couldn’t beat Lewis.

"It was then difficult for me to accept always taking on the role of helper. Everyone listened to Lewis more and more - after all, he was the multiple champion."

Now, he says his role at Alfa Romeo, where he is on a three-year deal, is "completely different".

"I’m here as a leader and I can contribute my experience and support my young teammate Guanyu Zhou," said Bottas.