88. Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Viktor Bottas (born 28 August 1989) is a Finnish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Alfa Romeo, having previously driven for Mercedes from 2017 to 2021 and Williams from 2013 to 2016.

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Bottas has scored ten race wins and 67 podiums. He contributed to five constructors’ championship wins for Mercedes and has been drivers’ championship runner-up twice, in 2019 and 2020.

Valtteri was born in Nastola, Finland, on 28 August 1989 to Rauno Bottas and Marianne Välimaa. His father owns a small cleaning company, and his mother is an undertaker. He was educated in Heinola. Bottas served in the army briefly, which is mandatory for adult males in Finland. His military rank is lance corporal.

Valtteri Bottas started his racing career in karting, later advancing to single-seater championships such as the Formula Renault UK Winter Series, Formula Renault Eurocup and the Formula Renault Northern European Cup, winning the latter two in 2008. In 2009, he moved to the Formula 3 Euroseries, finishing third in the championship and winning the Masters of Formula 3 event. In 2010, he was hired as a test driver for the Williams Formula One team, a position he would retain throughout 2011 and 2012, taking part in 15 Friday Free Practice sessions. In 2011, he also raced in the GP3 Series, and in the last race of the season, he won the championship.

In 2013, he became a full-time driver for Williams, working alongside Pastor Maldonado. He would remain at Williams until 2017, achieving a top championship position of fourth in 2014 and finishing on the podium nine times during his time with Williams. Following Nico Rosberg’s decision to retire following the 2016 season, Bottas was signed by Mercedes as his replacement to partner Lewis Hamilton. During his time with Mercedes, which would last until 2022, Bottas finished in the top three of the championship four times and won 10 races in addition to 58 podiums. After winning five constructor championships alongside Hamilton, he joined Alfa Romeo for the 2022 season.

On 11 September 2016, Valtteri Bottas married his long-time girlfriend, Emilia Pikkarainen, a fellow Finn and an Olympic swimmer whom he had been dating since 2010. The couple were married at St. John’s Church in Helsinki. On 28 November 2019, Bottas announced their separation and divorce, citing the “challenges my career and life situation bring”. Since February 2020, Bottas has been in a relationship with Australian cyclist Tiffany Cromwell.

Bottas resides in Monaco and has a lake house in his native Finland.