Coffee and cycling addictions, music with Hamilton and mystery gifts – Getting to know the real Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Bottas is the next F1 driver to face our Getting to Know quiz with a mixture of unusual, quickfire questions. From the moment that triggered his love for the sport to the F1 stars who would make his pro cycling team, and his musical experiences with former team mate Lewis Hamilton to the food-related gift he could not identify, the Finnish racer reveals all in the video player above and transcript below…

Can you describe yourself in three words?

Passionate, fast and relaxed.

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What made you fall in love with F1?

The final hit for me was in 1997, when Mika Hakkinen won his first race in the last race of the season [at Jerez]. That famous race when Jacques [Villeneuve] and Michael [Schumacher] collided. That was the final thing [where I thought], ‘Okay, wow, that’s something crazy!’

When and where did you first drive something? Alex Albon told us about the time he drove around Disneyland as a five-year-old and cried…

[Laughs]. No, I didn’t cry! I did crash on my first lap, my very first lap. I was five years old and that was in my home town, in Finland, in Lahti.

How many times did it take you to pass your driving test?

The first time! Easily. The theory test, driving test, no worries! Even the truck licence, first time…

Very well done!

[Laughs].

If you were to set up a pro cycling team, which two drivers from the current F1 grid would you choose to represent you?

Good question... Obviously, I would go for the people I know who cycle or have a past with cycling. I would probably go with Carlos [Sainz], he’s been reasonably getting into bikes. Then I would go with experience and go [with] Fernando [Alonso].

F1 ICONS: Valtteri Bottas on fellow Finn and double world champion Mika Hakkinen

If you could never drink coffee again, or never cycle again, what would it be? I imagine that’s quite a tough question…

That’s a terrible question! I mean… Wow. That would be a very cruel life. But if I had to give up one… The thing is, I’m addicted to both, so… I would probably give up coffee and maybe drink tea instead. Something with caffeine!

Who’s your best friend inside the paddock?

Inside the F1 paddock my best friend is my team mate, Zhou Guanyu.

And outside the paddock?

Outside the paddock… We’ve got a small group of good friends in Finland since school really. It’s only a handful of people, so that’s quite nice. Still sticking together!

Which three F1 personalities past or present would you invite to a dinner party and why?

Definitely Mika Hakkinen, because he’s always a good laugh – especially if he’s in a good spirit! Then I would go for Danny Ric – he’s also good fun. Then, if I really go [in the] past, and this would be impossible unfortunately, I would go for Niki Lauda, for one more dinner.

Who would be part of your all-time F1 dream team? So that’s two drivers and a team boss... Alex chose himself to be driver and team boss, in a player/manager football-style role, so feel free to go with that…

That’s a good one, actually! I’m going to copy that. I’m going to be the lead driver and also the team manager, so I can get all the best parts in my car! Then I would go for Lewis [Hamilton] and Max [Verstappen].

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If you could form an F1 band, who would be involved and what would it be called? I’ll tell you what Yuki Tsunoda said afterwards…

I would go for Yuki and Zhou, because they both do karaoke, so they would be the duet singing. Then… There’s somebody who’s played drums or guitar or something…

Ricciardo’s come up a few times…

Ah no, actually, I would go for Lewis. He’s big into music, so he would be the mixer guy. That’s a good combination.

Any experience of that with Lewis, from your time together at Mercedes?

He just likes to do his own music. Sometimes actually he’s singing, as well. Those three!

And what about the name?

Umm… The Speedsters.

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Yuki went for the ‘Moustache Dreamers’ and he picked you, so you made the cut with that one…

[Laughs] Okay, nice!

What’s your ultimate meal? That’s a starter, main, dessert and drink…

My ultimate meal would be… As a starter, like a creamy Finnish salmon soup, that’s very nice with some good gluten-free bread, because I’m gluten-free. My main course would be… I’m sorry if I’m going to offend somebody, but reindeer stew. It’s very Finnish. I highly recommend, if you’re not vegan! Dessert would be just berries, Finnish berries.

What would you drink alongside that? Would it be a coffee?

No, with the main course it would be red wine from south Australia.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

It’s quite simple advice. Never give up. From my parents, always, they told me just don’t give up. If you want to get somewhere, it’s as simple as that.

And what’s the worst advice you’ve ever received?

I don’t think there’s such a thing as worst advice. I think it’s always good to listen to advice, but you’ve got to filter things out. I think along your career, especially when you start to get close to getting to F1, you’re getting lots of taps on the back, lots of advice what to do, but you’ve just got to filter it out. I can’t really point out one.

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What’s the strangest gift you’ve ever been given by a fan?

Usually in Asian countries we get the most gifts. I’ve got some food that I wasn’t sure what it was. I still sometimes think about it, like what was it? It was this clear, plastic bag with some kind of food. I wasn’t sure if it was insects or if it was candy…

Did you eat it?

No, I didn’t try it! It’s still a mystery.

Which other job do you wish you could try for a day?

I would go to space. I would be an astronaut for a day!

What’s your proudest moment in F1 so far?

My proudest moment in F1 so far is…. My first win. I think that still stands out. My first win [in Russia] in 2017.

How special did that feel? You spoke a moment ago about never giving up…

It’s just surreal. It’s something that you realise… It took a few days to actually realise, because it’s been such a childhood dream. Yeah, it’s a surreal feeling and still makes me smile!

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What advice would you give to someone starting out in the sport?

I think people should be prepared that it’s not going to be an easy road. You need to give it absolutely everything and you need to have the right people around you, the right support. How to find that is not always easy. But yeah, you’ve got to believe in it. If you don’t believe, then it won’t happen. Dream big and go for it!

Where do you want to be in five years’ time?

Five years’ time, I’ll be 39 years old… Probably still here driving, but which team, we’ll see!