Valtteri Botta's Fortune

Short introduction

Valtteri Bottas is a Finnish racing driver who is currently driving Mercedes in Formula 1 and previously raced for Williams from 2013 to 2016.

Early life

Valtteri Viktor Bottas was born in 1989 in Nastola, Finland, to Rauno Bottas and Marianne Välimaa. His father owns a small cleaning company and his mother is an undertaker. He grew up in Heinola. Bottas served briefly in the army, which is mandatory for adult men in Finland.

Career

He had his first racing experience from 2001 to 2006 in karting. Bottas finished eighth in the 2005 Kart World Championship. In 2007 Valtteri Bottas decided to switch to Formula racing. Bottas won both the Formula Renault Eurocup 2008 and the Formula Renault Northern European Cup 2008. For the 2009 season he was promoted to the Formula Three Euro Series and fought for the reigning champion ART Grand Prix. Even though Bottas did not win a race, he won two pole positions on the way to third place in the championship. In 2009 Bottas won the Masters of Formula 3, secured pole position and drove the fastest lap of the race. When he won the event again in 2010, he was the first driver to win the F3 Masters title for the second time. In 2010 Bottas was appointed test driver for the Williams Formula 1 team and should continue to do so in 2011 and 2012. The Finn also contested the GP3 series in 2011 and stayed with the F3 squad ART. Bottas returned to racing in 2013 when he was confirmed as pastor Maldonado’s teammate at Williams-Renault for the season. In 2013 Bottas qualified third in the Canadian Grand Prix. He scored his first points in eighth place at the United States Grand Prix. In 2014 Bottas drove with Williams-Mercedes alongside Felipe Massa. Bottas qualified second at the Austrian Grand Prix, his best starting position in Formula 1 at the time, and achieved his first podium in this sport by finishing third. At the end of the season, he finished fourth overall in the drivers’ standings and won against former world champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso. At the opening race of the 2015 season in Australia, Bottas qualified for the race in sixth, but injured his qualification on the back. Williams lost to Ferrari over the course of the winter and slipped further behind Mercedes. He achieved two podiums in the 2015 season. Bottas finished fifth in the drivers’ standings. He and Massa remained teammates at Williams in the 2016 season. Bottas took third place at the Canadian Grand Prix and thus achieved the result of the previous year. This was Williams’ only podium this season. He reached an unofficial Formula 1 record speed of 378 km / h on the Baku City Circuit during qualification for the European Grand Prix. The second half of the season was less eventful for him. In the drivers’ championship, he again took 8th place. Mercedes signed Bottas for the 2017 season as a partner of Lewis Hamilton. Bottas finished third in his first race as a Mercedes driver, the Australian Grand Prix. At the Bahrain Grand Prix 2017, he qualified as a pole ahead of Lewis Hamilton, marking his first pole position in his career. He won the 2017 Russian Grand Prix, his first Grand Prix victory. He was the fifth Finn to win a Grand Prix. At the Brazilian Grand Prix, he took his third pole position of the season, followed by his fourth pole position and his third victory in the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi. Bottas drove for Mercedes again in the 2018 season. At the end of the season, he was the first Mercedes driver to end a season without a victory since Michael Schumacher in 2012. With seven second places, he also set a new record for most second places without a win in one season. Bottas was again committed to competing in the 2019 season with Mercedes and world champion Lewis Hamilton. He celebrated his first victory in thirteen races at the Japanese Grand Prix and ended the 2019 season in second place in the championship. Bottas was confirmed to drive for Mercedes again in 2024.

Career highlights

Bottas ended the 2019 season in 2nd place in the championship with 326 points, the most successful season of his career so far. He achieved four wins, fifteen podiums, five pole positions and three fastest laps. Since joining Mercedes, Bottas has won seven races, three in 2017 and four in 2019.

Famous quotes

“Maybe something is wrong with me because I feel neither pressure nor fear.”
“I can be nice – I don’t have to be rude for no reason.”
“I know when I’m in the car I always do my best.”

Success tips

“Let me tell you something, never give up your dream.”
“Every athlete, every person is individual.”