Valtteri Bottas is a Finnish F1 driver born on 28 August 1989 and currently competes for Stake F1 Team also known as Sauber.
Before joining Sauber he had his most successful F1 stint as a Mercedes driver from 2017 to 2021 and for Williams from 2013 to 2016.
Bottas has an impressive record with 10 race wins and 67 podiums to his name. He was also a key contributor to Mercedes’ five constructors championship wins. Moreover, Bottas has twice been a drivers’ championship runner-up, achieving this in 2019 and 2020.
Bottas’ journey in racing began in karting, and he then went on to participate in various single-seater championships, such as the Formula Renault UK Winter Series, Formula Renault Eurocup, and the Formula Renault Northern European Cup, emerging victorious in the latter two in 2008.
In 2009, Bottas joined the Formula 3 Euroseries and finished third in the championship. He also won the prestigious Masters of Formula 3 event.
In 2010, Williams signed him as a test driver, a position he retained for 2011 and 2012, participating in 15 Friday Free Practice sessions. That same year, he also participated in the GP3 Series, where he won the championship in the final race of the season.
In 2013, Bottas joined Williams as a full-time driver and was paired with Pastor Maldonado. He remained with the team until 2017, securing a top championship position of fourth in 2014. During his stint with Williams, Bottas achieved nine podium finishes.
Following Nico Rosberg‘s decision to retire after the 2016 season, Mercedes signed Bottas as his replacement to partner with Lewis Hamilton. During his time with Mercedes until 2022, Bottas finished in the top three of the championship four times. He also won ten races, in addition to achieving 58 podium finishes.
After playing a crucial role alongside Hamilton in Mercedes’ five constructors championships, Bottas joined Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season and then relaunched as Stake F1 Team in 2024.
