Valtteri Bottas still has Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen dream despite Mercedes axe

Valtteri Bottas joined Alfa Romeo this summer after five years at Mercedes alongside Lewis Hamilton. And the Finn still harbours dreams of being able to compete for the title despite his move to the Italian outfit.

Bottas joined Mercedes from Williams in 2017 after four successful years at the British-based outfit.

The Nastola-born star improved his form upon his move, winning three Grands Prix in his first year at the Silver Arrows, finishing third in the Drivers' Championship.

He ultimately enjoyed his best year in 2019, where he won four Grands Prix, although he still finished second in the standings to dominant team-mate Hamilton.

A third-placed finish last season handed Mercedes their eighth consecutive Constructors' Championship after some resistance from Red Bull.

Yet this year sees him make a move from Mercedes to Alfa Romeo. And despite his title chances dwindling as a result of the move, Bottas still believes he can win the Drivers' Championship for the first time.

"I still haven't given up the goal that I have, it's the one day win the championship, so that's always going to be the dream," Bottas said.Link

"But for now, I dream that we can make a good step forward as a team. And I feel like consistently scoring points would be big achievement already, and even I'm secretly dreaming about being on the podium with an Alfa Romeo."

"I feel like it's going to be exciting because with what I've learned from the regulations, so many things are now restricted on what you can do in each area.

"Between the teams, the car designs aerodynamically and mechanically, it's not a huge difference you can make. So, I think the whole season is going to be hopefully much closer.

"We're going to see different drivers on the podium,