Valtteri Bottas has explained why he is confident and excited by the prospect of teaming up with Sergio Perez in the new Cadillac Formula 1 team next year.
The Finn was chosen alongside the Mexican to lead the American marque, bringing a mix of speed and experience which will be all-important for such a new team.
Longstanding speculation placed Bottas as one of the favourites for the seat, with several other drivers mooted, before Perez was also signed to complete the line-up.
With Bottas still contracted as a reserve driver for Mercedes, much of the preliminary PR work has been taken on by Perez, who has spent this year out of the game after being fired by Red Bull at the end of last year.
But Bottas still has time to feel the excitement of being back racing again, and believes that his upcoming new team-mate feels the same.
“I think he’s as excited as I am; he’s looking forward to it,” he told Crash.net.
“He’s had a different year. I think he’s definitely travelled less than me. Some good quality family time, which can be sometimes good, a bit of a reset. But he’s looking forward to it.
“I think we can really work well together. I think we’re going to make a good team.
“And us as a driver pairing, I think we can really put the team first, which is what the team needs for the years ahead.”
Bottas believes Perez partnership will bring harmony
The pair share similarities in terms of their previous racing, having both been drivers for Mercedes and Red Bull, respectively, in supporting roles in 2021.
Despite this giving them a sense of being direct rivals, Bottas has nothing but kind words for his new stablemate.
“He’s been always good. He’s been always nice to me. I’ve always had respect for him. He’s been great,” he expressed.
“He seems like an easy guy to work with and I’m an easy guy to work with as well. So it should be all right.”
Despite both men obviously carrying ambitions of their own, Bottas explained that it is important for him and Perez to be focused on doing what is right for the team.
“I think the main thing for us is to work together and really drive the team forward together, not to waste time on competing against each other too much,” he insisted.
“I think that needs to be the priority and we both understand that.
“But again, let’s hope we can be closely matched. That always helps us both to improve and push further. That would be nice.”
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