Formula 1 · Cadillac

Valtteri Bottas

Ten wins and twenty poles as the man in the second Mercedes, a season without a single point at the other end of the grid, and a return with a brand new team. The official Valtteri Bottas collection: Williams, Mercedes, and the No. 77.

Nationality
Finnish
Born
28 August 1989 · Nastola, Finland
Teams
Williams · Mercedes · Alfa Romeo · Sauber · Cadillac
Car number
77
Wins
10, the first at Russia 2017
Best championship
2nd (2019 and 2020)
Shop the Collection Watch highlights
Graphic illustration of Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas wearing his black and teal Mercedes racing suit
Formula 1 · Cadillac
2013 — Present
10
Grand Prix Wins
67
Podium Finishes
20
Pole Positions
258
Grand Prix Starts

Who is Valtteri Bottas?

Valtteri Bottas (born 28 August 1989) is a Finnish Formula One driver who has raced for Williams, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo, Sauber and Cadillac since 2013. He won ten Grands Prix and took twenty pole positions in five seasons at Mercedes, finishing championship runner-up in 2019 and 2020. He returned to the grid with Cadillac in 2026.

Full name
Valtteri Viktor Bottas
Nationality
Finnish
F1 career
2013–present
Best known for
Ten wins at Mercedes and the 2019 Melbourne radio message

By Kozmozracing Editorial Published Updated 5 sources

Rider Profile

Valtteri Bottas: Full Biography

Valtteri Bottas is a Finnish racing driver who has competed in Formula One since 2013 for Williams, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo, Sauber and now Cadillac. He has ten wins, sixty-seven podiums and twenty pole positions.

Williams He spent 2012 as Williams’ third driver and raced for them from 2013. The second season was the one that announced him: six podiums, fourth in the championship, and an afternoon at Hockenheim spent holding Lewis Hamilton behind him. Williams slid back after that, and Mercedes came for him.

Mercedes Five seasons in the second Mercedes brought all ten of his wins, the first at Sochi in 2017, and all twenty of his poles. He was championship runner-up in 2019 and 2020 and third in 2017 and 2021, always behind his team mate. The role was never really his to win, and he said as much.

Cadillac He moved to Alfa Romeo for 2022 and led that team’s scoring, but the car went backwards and 2024 ended with no points at all. A year as Mercedes reserve followed, and then Cadillac put him back on the grid for 2026 alongside Sergio Pérez.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Valtteri Bottas

Chapter 01

Williams

Williams took him on as third driver in 2012, running him in Friday practice, and put him in the race seat for 2013 in a car that scored four points all year. Then came 2014, when Williams built something quick and he made the most of it: six podiums, fourth in the championship, and a German Grand Prix spent second on the road with Hamilton unable to find a way past in the closing laps. Two more seasons followed as the team fell away again, fifth and then eighth, and by the end of 2016 Mercedes needed a driver.

Valtteri Bottas in the Williams ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes at Hockenheim. Leading Lewis Hamilton at Hockenheim, 2014 Photo: Valtteri Bottas in the Williams ahead of Lewis Hamilton by Tommi Nummelin — CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized. · licence
Chapter 02

Mercedes

Nico Rosberg retired days after winning the 2016 title and Bottas got the call. Everything he has won came in the five years that followed: ten victories, the first at Sochi in 2017, and twenty pole positions. He was runner-up in 2019 and 2020 and third in 2017 and 2021, and in each of those seasons the driver ahead of him was Lewis Hamilton. After winning in Melbourne in 2019 he opened the radio and said "to whom it may concern", followed by an expletive aimed at everyone who had spent the winter telling him to stand aside. It is the line he is remembered for as much as any of the wins.

Valtteri Bottas in the silver Mercedes on track. Mercedes at pre-season testing, 2019 Photo: Valtteri Bottas in the silver Mercedes on track by Alberto-g-rovi — CC BY 3.0. Cropped and resized. · licence
Chapter 03

Cadillac

Mercedes replaced him with George Russell for 2022 and he went to Alfa Romeo, where he was the team's leading scorer with 49 points in the first year. The car got worse from there: ten points in 2023, and in 2024, by then badged as Kick Sauber, not a single one across twenty-four races. He spent 2025 as Mercedes reserve, out of a car at thirty-five. Cadillac entered Formula One for 2026 and hired him alongside Sergio Pérez, two experienced drivers for a team building from nothing, and the first twelve rounds have brought no points.

Valtteri Bottas in the Cadillac during qualifying in China. Cadillac at the Chinese Grand Prix, 2026 Photo: Valtteri Bottas in the Cadillac during qualifying in China by Liauzh — CC BY 4.0. Cropped and resized. · licence
Career Timeline

Valtteri Bottas Career Timeline: 1989–Present

Born in Nastola

Valtteri Bottas is born on 28 August in Nastola, Finland.

Williams Reserve

Runs Friday practice sessions as the team's third driver.

Formula One Debut

Races for Williams and scores four points.

Breakthrough

Six podiums and fourth in the championship.

Mercedes

Replaces Nico Rosberg and wins in Russia, his first Grand Prix victory.

Runner-Up

Four wins and second in the championship behind Lewis Hamilton.

Runner-Up Again

Two wins, five poles and second overall.

Alfa Romeo

Leads the team's scoring with 49 points.

Pointless

Twenty-four races without scoring for Kick Sauber.

Reserve

A season as Mercedes reserve driver.

Cadillac

Returns to the grid with the new Cadillac team alongside Sergio Pérez.

By the Numbers

Valtteri Bottas Formula One Record, Season by Season

Valtteri Bottas season-by-season record: team, wins, poles, podiums, points and final standing.
SeasonTeam Wins Poles Podiums Points Pos.
2013 Williams · Renault 0 0 0 4 17
2014 Williams · Mercedes 0 0 6 186 4
2015 Williams · Mercedes 0 0 2 136 5
2016 Williams · Mercedes 0 0 1 85 8
2017 Mercedes · Mercedes 3 4 13 305 3
2018 Mercedes · Mercedes 0 2 8 247 5
2019 Mercedes · Mercedes 4 5 15 326 2
2020 Mercedes · Mercedes 2 5 11 223 2
2021 Mercedes · Mercedes 1 4 11 226 3
2022 Alfa Romeo · Ferrari 0 0 0 49 10
2023 Alfa Romeo · Ferrari 0 0 0 10 15
2024 Kick Sauber · Ferrari 0 0 0 0 22
2026 Cadillac · Ferrari 0 0 0 0 22

Career totals: 10 wins · 67 podiums · 20 pole positions · 19 fastest laps · 1,797 points, which is what this table sums to and which matches his official Formula 1 profile exactly. There is no 2012 row because he was Williams' third driver that year without entering a race, and none for 2025, which he spent as Mercedes reserve. The season rows give 259 Grand Prix entries against the 258 on his Formula 1 profile, the difference being one race he entered but did not start. Three of the 2021 podiums come from sprint-format weekends, where the results table combines the Grand Prix and sprint finishes in a single cell; the Grand Prix result is the one counted here. The 2026 season is in progress and the figures are after twelve rounds. Figures verified 27 August 2026.

Valtteri Bottas in his own words

In His Own Words
To whom it may concern.
Valtteri Bottas · on the radio after winning the 2019 Australian Grand Prix

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Frequently Asked

Valtteri Bottas: Frequently Asked Questions

How many races has Valtteri Bottas won?

Ten, all of them for Mercedes between 2017 and 2021. The first was the Russian Grand Prix in 2017.

Has Valtteri Bottas won a world championship?

No. He was runner-up in 2019 and 2020 and third in 2017 and 2021, finishing behind his team mate Lewis Hamilton in each of those seasons.

What is the 'to whom it may concern' message?

A radio message he made on the cool-down lap after winning the 2019 Australian Grand Prix, addressed to the critics who had spent the previous winter suggesting he should give up his seat. It ended with an expletive and is the line most associated with him.

Why did Valtteri Bottas leave Mercedes?

Mercedes promoted George Russell alongside Lewis Hamilton for 2022, so Bottas moved to Alfa Romeo, where he was the team's leading scorer in his first season.

What happened in 2024?

He did not score a point. Across twenty-four races for Kick Sauber the car was not competitive enough to reach the top ten, and he finished twenty-second in the championship.

What did Valtteri Bottas do in 2025?

He spent the season as reserve driver for Mercedes, without a race seat.

Who does Valtteri Bottas drive for now?

Cadillac, which entered Formula One in 2026 and signed him alongside Sergio Pérez.

What number does Valtteri Bottas race with?

Seventy-seven, which he has used throughout his Formula One career.

Shop His Gear

Valtteri Bottas Collection

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. Valtteri Bottas — F1 driver profile · Formula 1 (official), career totals
  2. Bottas explains 'to whom it may concern' radio message · Motorsport.com, source of the pull quote
  3. From magic in Melbourne to Turkish delight — remembering Bottas's 10 Grand Prix victories · Formula 1 (official), the ten wins
  4. Valtteri Bottas · Wikipedia, season-by-season results
  5. Valtteri Bottas (Q311081) · Wikidata entity record

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by Kozmozracing. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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