Flying visit: Valtteri Bottas drops by to meet his Malaysian family en route to Shanghai!
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There’s more to switching teams in Formula One than a simple change of overalls, as Valtteri Bottas found when he visited Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to meet our title partner PETRONAS for the first time this week.
It’s been a busy winter for the Finn since joining Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport in January. But Valtteri, fresh from a P3 finish on his Silver Arrows debut in Australia, jumped at his first opportunity to visit PETRONAS.
As part of the trip, Valtteri visited PETRONAS’ iconic headquarters in Kuala Lumpur – the stylish Twin Towers – as well as the PETRONAS Research Centre in Bangi, Selangor. He received a warm welcome to the PETRONAS family from the very top level of management to his new team-mates throughout the organisation.
“It’s a great feeling to arrive in Kuala Lumpur as a PETRONAS-backed driver for the first time,” said Valtteri. “I’m so proud to become a global brand ambassador for PETRONAS this season and I’m looking forward to working together to make all Malaysians proud.
My focus now is on continuing that success as we move forward together into a new era of Formula One.
“This was my first chance to visit the Twin Towers and the Research Centre and I’ve already learnt a lot about PETRONAS and the work that goes into creating the specialist fuels, oils and lubricants that have powered the Silver Arrows to such great success.
For 2017, Valtteri will join new team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, as a PETRONAS global brand ambassador. He will be the new face of PETRONAS’ range of products across the world, working alongside Lewis on promotional events throughout the year.
Together, PETRONAS and the Silver Arrows have won three consecutive World Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, amassing 53 wins in 61 races in the process.
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