Valtteri Bottas

Biography of Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Viktor Bottas is a Finnish F1 driver who is racing for the Alfa Romeo team.

Bottas was born in Nastola, Finland on August 28, 1989, and he is currently 35 years old.

Valtteri, who had spells with Williams and Mercedes before joining Alfa Romeo, stands 5ft 8ins tall (1.73m).

Valtteri Bottas in F1

Bottas started his Formula 1 career at Williams as a partner with Pastor Maldonado in 2013.

He scored his first career points at that season's US Grand Prix—his only points of the year—after finishing eighth at the Circuit of the Americas.

Despite a year of struggle, Bottas generally outperformed his more experienced team-mate, retaining his place on the team for 2014 as Maldonado was replaced by Felipe Massa.

That season saw a sharp upturn in Williams' fortunes as a new power unit deal with Mercedes, sponsorship from Martini and Massa's arrival gave the team a much-needed boost. Bottas thrived, taking a maiden podium in Austria.

Further podium finishes in Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, Russia, and Abu Dhabi proved Bottas' credentials, as he finished the season fourth in the drivers' championship.

As Mercedes' rival engine manufacturers began to get to grips with the complex turbo-hybrid power units, Williams started to slip back down the order, but not before Bottas was able to add three podiums across 2015 and 2016 to solidify fifth and eighth in the championship in both seasons.

When Nico Rosberg shocked the Formula 1 world with his retirement after clinching the 2016 world title, Bottas was in the right place at the right time.

Mercedes acted quickly to get their man, the Finn, chosen to team up with Lewis Hamilton and help continue the German manufacturer's monopoly on the sport.

Bottas started well, securing a maiden pole position in his third race in Bahrain, finishing third, but it wasn't long before he was on the top step of the podium. At the very next race in Russia, Bottas became the fifth Finn to win a grand prix.

He won from pole in Austria later that year and did so again in the season finale in Abu Dhabi, although Hamilton had already wrapped up his fourth title by that point. Bottas finished 58 points behind his teammate, although he was only 12 points away from bettering Sebastian Vettel in second.

A season to forget followed in 2018 as Bottas failed to win a single race, despite Mercedes once again winning the constructors' championship and Hamilton securing crown number five.

Despite a bright start to the season, Bottas' form began to slip, and he was soon out of title contention, prompting Mercedes' decision to deploy team orders, which saw Hamilton take a Russian GP win away from Bottas after he had taken pole position and led from the start. He would finish the season fifth in the driver's standings, while Hamilton took yet another title.

The Finn was more fired up than ever before when he returned for the 2019 season. A dominant performance at the season opener in Melbourne saw Bottas lead Hamilton home by 20 seconds to instantly put right the wrongs of the season before.

Three further victories in Azerbaijan, Japan and the USA lay the foundations for Bottas to beat Vettel, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen to second in the final standings, although still 87 points away from Hamilton.

2020 was almost a carbon copy of the previous season, as Bottas made the best start possible by winning the Austrian Grand Prix. Another victory came at the Russian Grand Prix, although the 124-point margin to Hamilton at the end of the 17-race season was chastening for the Finn.

2021 would prove to be Bottas' last in Mercedes colours, and he would play second-fiddle to teammate Hamilton as the Briton fought Verstappen for the title.

Bottas kept one last display up his sleeve in Turkey, just to give a welcome reminder of how much raw speed he possessed with the Silver Arrows.

In 2022, Bottas brought his talents to Alfa Romeo alongside Japanese rookie Zhou Guanyu. He finished the year in 10th place with 49 points to his name.

However, 2023 wasn't kind to the Finn, as he dropped to 15th in the standings, managing to score only 10 points throughout the season.

Despite this, Bottas remains committed to the Italian outfit. He signed a contract to drive for the team until the end of the 2025 season, meaning he will be behind the wheel for the upcoming 2024 campaign.

Net worth Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Bottas Net Worth

Bottas' contractual details are not public knowledge. However, his Alfa Romeo contract is believed to be $5 million.

In addition to his base salary, Bottas has numerous personal tie-ins, such as his partnership with Finnish sporting company Polar.

Valtteri Bottas Wife and Girlfriend

Bottas was previously married to Finnish swimming star Emilia Pikkarainen, marrying in 2016 but announcing their split at the tail end of the 2019 season.

Bottas is currently dating Tiffany Cromwell - an Australian road cyclist.

Valtteri Bottas Instagram

Bottas regularly updates his fans on Instagram," href="https://www.instagram.com/valtteribottas/" target="_blank"> giving an insight into his training schedule, personal life, and the progress of his race weekends. He currently has almost 4 million followers.

Valtteri Bottas' Helmet

Bottas' helmet design has largely remained the same throughout his career, consisting of the Finnish national colours of blue and white along with black as a prominent colour.

Only minute changes have been made to the physical design of his helmets.

Valtteri Bottas bum picture

Bottas hit the headlines in May 2022 when he posted a picture on his Instagram feed; in it, he is laid in a stream in Aspen, Colorado, with his bare bum clearly visible.

The picture caused a stir on social media, leading Bottas to team up with a photographer to do a run of prints to be sold for charity.

Per reports, around 5000 of the photos were sold, raising around €50,000 for charity.

While clearly buying into the fun and charity element, Bottas did admit it was "weird" to know that so many people had a picture at home of him naked in a stream.