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Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas stated that he was 'skeptical' about F1's new rule that states there can be no tire blankets before new tires are fitted.
The sport will introduce this rule next year and has changed the temperature in the tire blanket this season. The new rule was criticized by Bottas' former teammate and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who called it 'pointless'.
Speaking to RacingNews365, Bottas gave his thoughts on the rule and said:
"It's quite a new concept for Formula 1 cars, with the amount of load we have in the cars, and having such a tire that works from low temperature to high is not easy to make. I think Pirelli is really working hard on it. Obviously, warm-up is a bit of an issue when you don't have blankets. But Bahrain is probably the easiest track to get the tires to warm up. So it was actually manageable."
"The pressure rise is massive when you start cold and when you end up 100°C so that obviously makes the tire drop-off significantly worse. In my personal opinion, I don't feel that's the way to go but I think they're working really hard and it's obviously not up to us what's going to happen in the future."
"I do miss winning and having a chance to win"- Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas went on to highlight the differences that he has felt since leaving Mercedes and joining Alfa Romeo in 2022. Talking about the transition, Valtteri Bottas said:
"It's not really strange. Life changes and you go through the different chapters in your career. The length of time [you take] to prepare to be in a different team and [have] different targets, etc. So it is not strange, I would say it is the situation I'm in and focused for. Don't get me wrong. I do miss winning and having a chance to win. But maybe that made the transition slightly easier."
"I just decided I wanted to do a mullet! So then I did it and let people think what they think. It's the same with the mustache. From the outside, I don't probably seem like a typical Finn anymore. I think I'm just more comfortable with everything; F1 and life. think it's a combination of many things; the environment, the getting older and actually not taking things as seriously as you should, and have some fun in life as well with some boredom."
F1 fans have also embraced the new and relaxed Valtteri Bottas and have come to appreciate his funny side since he joined the Swiss team last season.
