Valtteri Bottas Height, Girlfriend, Age, Weight & Records

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Valtteri Bottas is a Finnish racing driver who currently competes in Formula One for Mercedes under the Finnish flag. He formerly raced for Williams from 2013 until 2016. Bottas has won nine races since joining Mercedes, three in 2017, four in 2019, and two in 2020.

Early life

Valtteri was born on August 28, 1989, in Nastola, Finland, to Rauno Bottas and Marianne Välimaa. His father runs a small cleaning business, and his mother works as an undertaker. He received his education in Heinola. Bottas briefly served in the army, which is required of all adult males in Finland. He is a lance corporal in the military.

Career

Williams (2013–2016)

Bottas returned to racing in 2013, after being confirmed as Pastor Maldonado’s teammate at Williams-Renault for the 2013 season on November 28, 2012. Bottas qualified third for the Canadian Grand Prix on June 8, 2013, behind Sebastian Vettel (1st) and Lewis Hamilton (2nd).

He finished eighth at the United States Grand Prix, his first points finish. He was able to finish ahead of Maldonado in the Drivers’ Championship as a result of this result.

Bottas was announced to continue with Williams-Mercedes in 2014 with Felipe Massa, who was hired from Ferrari to replace Pastor Maldonado on November 11, 2013. He qualified 10th and finished 6th in the opening race of the 2014 season in Australia, after recovering from a crash early in the race.

He was later promoted to fifth place after Daniel Ricciardo was disqualified from second place. At the Austrian Grand Prix, Bottas qualified second, his best grid position in Formula One at the time, and finished third, trailing Nico Rosberg (1st) and Lewis Hamilton (2nd).

In the German Grand Prix, he qualified second and finished second despite a late challenge from Hamilton. Bottas finished fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, ahead of former world champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, after claiming three more podiums in Belgium, Russia (where he set his first fastest lap of a race) and Abu Dhabi (part of the Williams team’s first double podium since the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix).

2016-17 season

For the 2016 season, Bottas and Massa remained teammates at Williams. They were the only two drivers to finish in the points in all five races of the season. Bottas finished third in the Canadian Grand Prix, mirroring his finish from the previous year. This was Williams’s only podium result of the season.

During qualifying for the European Grand Prix, he set an unofficial Formula One record of 378 km/h (235 mph) at the Baku City Circuit. Bottas’ second half of the season was less eventful. He finished eighth in the Drivers’ Championship, one spot ahead of his teammate Massa, who ended eleventh.

Mercedes

Mercedes confirmed on January 16, 2017, that they had signed Bottas to partner Lewis Hamilton for the 2017 season, replacing the 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg, who had unexpectedly retired from the sport. Bottas finished third behind Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton in his maiden race as a Mercedes driver, the 2017 Australian Grand Prix.

At the 2017 Chinese Grand Prix, he spun behind the safety car and dropped from fifth to 12th place, but fought his way back to sixth place, trailing Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, the two Red Bulls, and Kimi Räikkönen. At the 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix, he qualified on pole position ahead of Lewis Hamilton, marking his first career pole position.

However, he had to settle for third place in the race after experiencing tyre pressure issues during his first stint and being unable to find the pace to compete with Vettel and Hamilton. On 30 April 2017, he won his maiden Grand Prix by leapfrogging the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen from third on the grid on the opening lap, becoming him the fifth Finn to win a Grand Prix.

2018-19 season

On September 13, 2017, Mercedes announced that Bottas would be returning to the team for the 2018 season. Bottas had a bad start to the season in Australia, as he crashed out in Q3 and was handed a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox as a result, putting him in 15th place; his teammate Hamilton began from the pole.

Bottas signed a new contract with Mercedes for the 2019 season, with an option for the 2020 season, ahead of the German Grand Prix. By the end of the season, Bottas had become the first Mercedes driver since Michael Schumacher in 2012 to conclude a season without a win. He also set a new record for the most second-place finishes without winning a race in a season with seven.

2020-21 season

Bottas’ contract with Mercedes has been extended through 2021. He finished third in the Bahrain Grand Prix. In the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he struggled in comparison to teammate Lewis Hamilton, unable to manage his tyres and finishing ninth.

Bottas’ challenging race ended in an accident with George Russell while the latter was attempting to overtake Bottas. Bottas qualified on pole for the Portuguese Grand Prix, but was overtaken by Hamilton and then Verstappen. Despite having a stronger late-race pace than Verstappen, a sensor failure prevented him from challenging for second place.

Personal life

Bottas married his long-term partner, Emilia Pikkarainen, a fellow Finn and Olympic swimmer with whom he had been dating since 2010. The pair married at Helsinki’s St. John’s Church. Bottas announced their separation and divorce on November 28, 2019, stating “challenges my career and life situation brings”

As of 14 February 2020, Bottas is dating Australian professional cyclist Tiffany Cromwell.

Bottas lives in Monaco and is a fan of The Offspring, an American punk rock band.

Rеаl Nаmе/Full Nаmе	Valtteri Viktor Bottas
Nісk Nаmе/Сеlеbrаtеd Nаmе	Valtteri Bottas
Віrth Рlасе	Nastola, Finland
Dаtе оf Віrth/Віrthdау	28 August 1989
Аgе/Ноw Оld	31 years old
Неіght/Ноw Таll	1.73 m
Wеіght	69 kg
Раrеntѕ Nаmе	Fаthеr –Rauno Bottas Моthеr –Marianne Välimaa
Nаtіоnаlіtу	Finnish
Маrіtаl Ѕtаtuѕ	Divorced
Gіrlfrіеnd	Emilia Pikkarainen(divorced) Tiffany Cromwell (present)
Рrоfеѕѕіоn	F1 racer
Nеt Wоrth	$12 million
Lаѕt Uрdаtеd	Јunе 2021

Valtteri Bottas: Age, height, weight, girlfriend, career and the personal life of the Finnish F1 driver