Nationality: Finnish
Birthday: 28 August 1989
Current team: Cadillac
Previous teams: Williams, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo/Sauber
Number: 77
Strengths: Flying laps, qualifying consistency, clean driving, simulator work
Weaknesses: Overtaking, too passive, lack of motivation
Strongest tracks: Austria, Britain, Bahrain
Weakest tracks: Hungary, Mexico, Vegas, Azerbaijan
Statistics
Grand Prix wins: 10
Pole Positions: 20
Fastest laps: 19
Podiums: 67
World Championships: 0
F1 teammate record H2H
Total Q record: 127-117
Total R record: 106-139
| Teammate | Q record | R record |
| Pérez (2026) | 1-2 | 1-2 |
| Zhou (2022-24) | 47-18 | 40-26 |
| Russell (2020) | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| Hamilton (2017-21) | 26-71 | 25-74 |
| Massa (2014-16) | 40-19 | 31-26 |
| Maldonado (2013) | 12-7 | 8-11 |
Pre-F1 championship results
Won GP3 (2011)
3rd in Formula 3 Euro Series (2010)
1st in Formula Renault 2.0 (2009)
1st in Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 NEC (2009)
Career analysis
Bottas entered F1 with a lot of hype in 2013. He was seen as the best driver in the Williams academy. His rookie season was fairly anonymous, although he did stand out with an excellent wet weather qualifying performance in Canada, placing the slow Williams 3rd on the grid. Over the course of the year, he was strong in qualifying and beat his teammate Pastor Maldonado, although there weren’t many race highlights.
After the major change in regulations in 2014, Williams finally had a competitive car. Bottas developed well and secured several podiums over the next few years. He was also significantly faster than Felipe Massa in terms of pure pace, though you could see a lack of experiences in the races.
When Nico Rosberg left F1 following his 2016 title, Bottas was brought to Mercedes to replace him. Although Bottas couldn’t match Rosberg’s performance, he was a great number two driver for Lewis Hamilton, and Mercedes won the constructor’s title in every season that Bottas drove for the team. He racked up 20 pole positions and 10 wins during his time as a Mercedes driver. A common theme was that Bottas excelled in qualifying but struggled in wheel-to-wheel battles against the top drivers. His Sunday consistency wasn’t always great and that continues to be a weakness to this day.
After losing his Mercedes seat to George Russell, Bottas moved to Alfa Romeo/Sauber. This stint was fairly disappointing: The car was usually the worst of the field, but Bottas lost too frequently to his talentless teammate, Zhou Guanyu. The consequence was that the Finn couldn’t secure an extension with Sauber and was left without a race seat for 2025, though he did take up Mercedes reserve duties.
Cadillac called him up for a 2026 return. At the current point in time, Bottas is no longer operating at his peak. His experience could prove valuable for Cadillac since he is an excellent developer and strong in the simulator, but he is unlikely to secure good results come raceday. He could lose motivation easily if the team is a clear backmarker – we saw this at Sauber where he seemed much more passionate about his cycling endeavours. He should have a clear edge over Sergio Pérez in qualifying sessions – the question is whether or not he can outperform Checo on Sundays.
