Valtteri Bottas | |
|---|---|
 Bottas at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix | |
| Born | Valtteri Viktor Bottas 28 August 1989 Nastola, Finland |
| Spouse | |
| Partners | Tiffany Cromwell (2020–present) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Finnish |
| 2024 team | Kick Sauber-Ferrari[1] |
| Car number | 77 |
| Entries | 244 (243 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 10 |
| Podiums | 67 |
| Career points | 1797 |
| Pole positions | 20 |
| Fastest laps | 19 |
| First entry | 2013 Australian Grand Prix |
| First win | 2017 Russian Grand Prix |
| Last win | 2021 Turkish Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix |
| 2023 position | 15th (10 pts) |
| Previous series | |
| 2011 2009–2010 2009, 2011 2008 2007–2008 2007 | GP3 Series F3 Euro Series British F3 Formula Renault Eurocup Formula Renault NEC FRUK Winter Series |
| Championship titles | |
| 2011 2008 2008 | GP3 Series Formula Renault Eurocup Formula Renault NEC |
| Website | valtteribottas |
Valtteri Viktor Bottas (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈʋɑltːeɾi ˈbotːɑs]; born 28 August 1989) is a Finnish racing driver, currently competing in Formula One for Sauber. Bottas twice finished runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 2019 and 2020 with Mercedes, and has won 10 Grands Prix across 12 seasons.
Born and raised in Nastola, Bottas began kart racing aged six. After studying automotive engineering and completing mandatory military service, Bottas progressed to junior formulae in 2007. He won his first championship at the Formula Renault NEC in 2008, also winning the Formula Renault Eurocup by three points to Daniel Ricciardo, both with Motopark. He then won the Masters of Formula 3 back-to-back in 2009 and 2010 with ART, before winning the GP3 Series in 2011.
After two years as a test driver, Bottas signed for Williams in 2013 to partner Pastor Maldonado, making his Formula One debut at the Australian Grand Prix. In 2014, he finished fourth in the championship, taking his maiden career podium at the Austrian Grand Prix. Across four seasons at Williams, Bottas finished on the podium nine times. Bottas signed for Mercedes in 2017, replacing the retiring Nico Rosberg to partner Lewis Hamilton. He took his maiden pole position in Bahrain and his maiden win in Russia, finishing third in the championship following further wins in Austria and Abu Dhabi. After a winless 2018 campaign, Bottas finished runner-up to Hamilton in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He took his final win for Mercedes at the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix, leaving at the end of the 2021 season after contributing to five consecutive World Constructors' Championships. He joined Alfa Romeo in 2022, who re-branded to Sauber in 2024.
As of the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix, Bottas has achieved 10 race wins, 20 pole positions, 19 fastest laps and 67 podiums in Formula One. He holds the Formula One record for the most career points without a World Championship (1,797). Bottas is set to remain at Sauber until the end of the 2024 season, when his contract expires.
- ^ "Alfa Romeo announce Valtteri Bottas to join the team in 2022 on multi-year deal". Formula1.com. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2022.