Not for the primary time, is taking part in it cool. Frankly, when has Valtteri Bottas not performed it cool? A brand new and improved determine of exuberance away from the racetrack – extra on that later – the 35-year-old racer is on the verge of his last furlong this weekend. And whereas he isn’t bowing out strictly on his personal phrases, he has the aura of an individual departing the game he cherishes – the one pastime he’s ever identified – with none sense of bitterness or resentment.
Within the “piranha membership” whirlpool of the System One paddock, that in itself is admirable. But he opts to not delve too deeply into the psychoanalysis of himself. As a substitute, his new life outlook is refreshingly easy.
“I’ve simply been in a position to take the piss out of myself,” he tells The Unbiased, within the Stake Staff (Sauber) hospitality unit.
As ’s 12-year stint at concludes spare a thought for Bottas – Hamilton’s favorite ever teammate – on the different finish of the pit lane. A teammate who aided Hamilton’s glory years with examples of self-sacrifice hardly ever seen in F1. A teammate who, with 5 constructors’ titles to his title, has his personal delight of place in Toto Wolff’s hybrid-era juggernaut.
A lot so, actually, that Bottas is about to be welcomed again with open arms as a Mercedes reserve driver subsequent yr. He’ll nonetheless be a presence within the paddock
However come the tip of 58 laps on the Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday, Bottas will wave goodbye – no less than in the meanwhile – to a daily spot on the most-prized grid in world motorsport after a dozen journeys across the solar. Dropped by Sauber for 2025, Bottas will begin probably his last grand prix in on Sunday.
A quiet, unassuming competitor for many of his 12 years within the sport, the Finn has opened up in methods unexpected prior to now 18 months or so. What’s been on the agenda? Effectively, how about indoor triathlons? And self-deprecating merchandise for charity. And nude calendars.
These days, he even sports activities a Mansell-esque moustache.
The transformation in Bottas’ facade has been tremendously uplifting and, in a sport with its justifiable share of controversies in 2024, offered a supply of much-needed laughter. Why now, although, amid the hardest years of his profession on monitor?
“I feel I’ve simply obtained the expertise and the change of ambiance in my life now… all the pieces has mixed,” he says. “It’s nearly being who I actually am.
“It’s additionally about being extra relaxed and keen to share what I do. It’s simply a neater way of life, as an alternative of following sure tips.
“I feel numerous it’s age and expertise. Earlier in my profession, it was 24/7 F1. It was tremendous critical. However then you definately truly begin to perceive that some issues in life shouldn’t be that critical.”
And if there’s one trait you can’t accuse Bottas of exuding in his last yr in F1, it’s seriousness. The Finnish racer, rooted to the as the one present driver but to attain this yr, has grow to be an unlikely supply of humour and positivity for the game’s always increasing social media era.
Solely this week, after his teammate Zhou Guanyu secured Sauber’s first top-10 end of the season in Qatar, Bottas posted an Instagram photograph of him laughing within the pit lane with the caption: “After I obtained instructed I’ll rating factors in 2024.”
The tomfoolery shouldn’t be mistaken for apathy, nevertheless. Languishing hopelessly in the back of the pack, week-in week-out within the luminous 2024 Sauber automotive, has not been an uplifting existence.
“It’s been a tough season, I might say probably the most tough of my F1 profession,” he says. Now, he’s critical.
“Outcomes-wise, it’s truly been just like my first yr in F1 (when he scored 4 factors for Williams in 2013). However that’s completely different. At this stage of my profession, it’s been the hardest of rides.
“That’s the factor with this sport: it’s not all the time truthful. It’s required a special mindset, for certain. However I’m dealing with it. And I feel I’m dealing with it nicely.”
Why plummet into darkish areas of despair, in a state of affairs largely out of your management? Sauber – who grow to be Audi in 2026 and have fairly the mountain to climb – have produced a snail of a automotive this yr. Signing a three-year contract upon leaving Mercedes in 2021, this was not the swansong Bottas envisaged.
Valtteri Bottas’ F1 profession (2013-2024)
Races: 245
Factors: 1797
Wins: 10
Podiums: 67
Pole positions: 20
Finest end: 2nd in 2019 and 2020 (5x constructors’ titles, 2017-2021)
However the decade-plus profession Bottas has skilled shouldn’t be blindly dismissed as a sideshow. Debuting for Wiliams, Bottas was in the proper place on the proper time when Nico Rosberg shockingly retired after successful his first title in 2016 with Mercedes.
With the 2017 season a matter of months away, Wolff wanted a driver shortly. He wanted a dependable, seasoned professional. Bottas was his man.
What adopted was some of the affluent partnerships in F1 historical past. In fact, it’s no secret that Bottas didn’t have Hamilton’s world-class skillset and racecraft. Not many do. However his real good grace was not misplaced on the motive force alongside him within the storage.
Nor Wolff or former chief strategist James Vowles – even when his “Valtteri, it’s James” radio messages, to sign one other incoming request to assist Hamilton, shortly grew to become meme-able materials.
Twice a runner-up, he got here closest in 2019, ending 87 factors off Hamilton. A world championship wasn’t utterly unfathomable. No regrets, although.
”Being a part of that Mercedes period was superior,” he displays. “I keep in mind these instances with a smile.
“I’ve thought of completely different races I ought to have pushed otherwise however with the expertise I had on the time and the mind-set, I felt like I undoubtedly gave it my all.
“I gave it the most effective I can… however it wasn’t fairly sufficient to beat Lewis in his prime. So no regrets.”
And so to Sunday: the finale. Bottas bowed out from Mercedes in a cloud of smoke amid Hamilton’s to Max Verstappen in 2021. As soon as once more, his buddy from Stevenage is about to steal his limelight, as Hamilton heads to the game’s most well-known marque in Ferrari.
However Bottas gained’t thoughts. Not then and never now. Brazenly comfy in his personal pores and skin, with a plenitude of aerobic-inducing and charity-based hobbies on the horizon with Australian bicycle owner Tiffany Cromwell by his facet, Bottas is a person free from any angst or misery.
There might even be a route again sooner or later for Bottas, with eleventh crew Cadillac . Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo have confirmed that second probabilities can come alongside if you happen to keep within the fray.
However till then, there can be no sulking after a torrid yr to overlook. Which, after a profession many can solely dream of, is probably the best attribute of the lot.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix begins at 1pm (UK time) on Sunday 8 December. Protection on Sky Sports activities F1 and Foremost Occasion from 11.30am
