The continued progress of System 1 worldwide — in addition to in america — has been attributed to the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive. Regardless of the deserves are relating to that argument, one of many features of that sequence that drove the expansion of the game worldwide is the introduction to the drivers themselves. Athletes who’re unbelievable personalities exterior of the automobile, and the very best at what they do contained in the automobile.
Amongst that group of personalities? Valtteri Bottas. The previous F1 Grand Prix winner is likely to be enduring a tough season in 2024, as Kick Sauber nonetheless seems to be for his or her first level of the marketing campaign, however that has not diminished his shine off the observe. Bottas has change into one of the crucial fascinating personalities within the sport, due to an unbelievable social media workforce at Sauber in addition to his personal outgoing, humorous aspect, which has exploded these previous few seasons.
Forward of the Italian Grand Prix, SB Nation caught up with the motive force over an e-mail alternate to speak in regards to the 2024 season, his F1 future, and his newest enterprise, a partnership with WhistlePig on a brand new Rye.
The 2024 System 1 season
The alternate started with a take a look at the 2024 System 1 season. Issues have been tough for Sauber this 12 months, because the workforce continues to be searching for their first level of the 2024 marketing campaign.
This comes after final 12 months, underneath the Alfa Romeo model, the workforce completed ninth within the F1 Constructors’ Championship with 16 factors, Bottas accounting for ten of these.
“It’s clearly been a tricky F1 season to date,” defined Bottas. “Nevertheless, we’re working united as a workforce as laborious as we will to get issues sorted and have new management throughout the workforce and the results of that will probably be proven throughout the coming months. We’re not resting, we’re working to get higher.”
Sauber is ready to change into the Audi works operation in 2026, and a number of the new management has been put in forward of that swap. That features the appointment of Mattia Binotto, previously the Staff Principal at Ferrari, as the brand new Chief Working and Chief Technical Officer.
Nevertheless, that’s the future. What can Sauber do down the stretch this season?
“The expectation for the remainder of the 2024 F1 season is to proceed to enhance from race to race,” outlined the Sauber driver. “You need to carry out at your highest stage every race and it’s irritating if you don’t find yourself with the outcomes that you just really feel like it’s possible you’ll deserve. The workforce is working laborious and also you need to get a end result to reward that onerous work.”
Speaking spirits with Valtteri Bottas
The dialog then turned to whiskey. For the second F1 season in a row, WhistlePig is partnering with the workforce to provide a restricted version whiskey. Final 12 months WhistlePig produced the Alfa Romeo F1 Staff Stake Barrel, a 96.77-proof excessive rye whiskey chosen by Bottas and teammate Zhou Guanyu. In a nod to Zhou’s standing as the primary Chinese language F1 driver, final 12 months’s version was “completed with lychee and oolong tea.”
This 12 months’s installment, the WhistlePig Piggyback Rye: Stake F1 Staff Single Barrel, leans into Bottas’ different enterprise into spirits, his O/TH gin. This 12 months’s Piggyback Rye is completed in O/TH gin barrels.
“Whereas a considerably surprising combo, the Rye and Gin make a powerful workforce,” defined Bottas. “My OΛTH Gin is vacuum-distilled with oats and apple peels, and what flavors go higher with these than cinnamon and spice? That’s why WhistlePig has been ageing its PiggyBack 100% Rye in barrels seasoned with my OΛTH Gin to mix the best flavors of New England with the proper pine-note Finnish.”
Questioning what to anticipate from this installment? Bottas broke it down for me. “Followers will style crimson apple, softer notes of resinous spruce suggestions, cinnamon, and a refined florality, like honey-suckle and lavender,” outlined the Sauber driver.
In a second we’ll focus on Bottas’ unbelievable social media presence, however I did pose a query within the spirit of the “Ask Valtteri” sequence, an ongoing section on Sauber’s social media channels the place the motive force solutions questions from followers.
How ought to followers greatest take pleasure in this model of WhistlePig?
“There’s no improper strategy to take pleasure in it… is there? However I want to sip it after a race in a brand new wheelspin on an previous traditional: WhistlePig Highball,” mentioned Bottas. “Followers ought to drink it sluggish whereas I drive quick and benefit from the ryed – see what I did there?
“However generally going sluggish is nice, like in the case of whiskey or gin making. In case there’s any confusion on the distinction between the quick vs sluggish idea, we’ve created my very own instructional sequence – ‘Bo Talks’ to interrupt it down.”
But extra unbelievable Bottas content material. Talking of which …
Popping out of his shell
Whereas Sauber has struggled on the observe this season, one might make the case they’ve dominated off it. F1 groups have unbelievable social media operations, and in a sport stuffed with good and artistic minds, Sauber is close to the highest. Among the workforce’s movies this season have been unbelievable, resembling this video of Bottas “defending” Zhou from water bottles flying towards him:
Or this video from the Italian Grand Prix, the place the workforce discovered a Bottas lookalike in attendance and made positive he met the motive force:
And as you possibly can see, the above Bo Talks is one more instance of this superb aspect of the motive force.
I requested Bottas in regards to the social media work he has down these previous two seasons, together with final 12 months’s unbelievable charity calendar, and the concept that the motive force has come out of his shell a bit.
“Clearly, I’m having loads of enjoyable with it. The calendar was distinctive to say the least and I’ve gotten loads of inquiries as to if there will probably be one for 2025 which supplies me a very good giggle,” mentioned Bottas. “There are additionally partnerships just like the one with WhistlePig Whiskey the place I’m getting to mix my very own ventures exterior of racing in OΛTH Gin with a model that I’m excited to companion with and make a singular product.”
One other outstanding little bit of content material this season from Bottas is that this business for UberShare forward of the Australian Grand Prix:
I requested Bottas about filming that commercial, and the way a lot of the script got here from him.
“I beloved the UberShare commercial because it allowed my love of Australia and my persona to indicate by.
“There may need been a number of components the place I may need improvised.”
Valtteri’s F1 future
Whereas followers love seeing Bottas on the observe, the query does stay: Will he be on the grid subsequent 12 months? Whereas Sauber confirmed forward of the Miami Grand Prix that Nico Hülkenberg will probably be one among their drivers subsequent season, they haven’t introduced who will drive alongside the veteran driver subsequent 12 months.
Bottas is one of some drivers linked with that second seat at Sauber, however nothing has been finalized but. I requested Bottas if he had any information to share, or when his devoted followers might anticipate studying his plans.
“I’m nonetheless engaged on it,” mentioned Bottas. “Making some progress, however that’s all I can say proper now. Have had good discussions that may proceed throughout the subsequent days. That’s all I may give you. Finally all the things will probably be positive a method or one other.”
Nevertheless, followers can anticipate to see Bottas performing some racing quickly.
On the upcoming World Gravel Championships.
The motive force’s companion, Tiffany Cromwell, is without doubt one of the greatest cyclists on the planet. In recent times Bottas has grown to like the Lycra as effectively, and he has change into an elite gravel bicycle owner, competing when he isn’t behind the wheel of an F1 automobile.
With the best way the F1 schedule falls this 12 months, there’s a break between races that coincides with the World Gravel Championships, which supplies Bottas an opportunity to compete. Certainly one of Bottas’ greatest followers, a reader on Threads, puzzled if the schedule would align for Bottas to don the Lycra as soon as extra.
“Sure, I believe you may see me in Lycra in Belgium, so hold following,” mentioned Bottas. “I’ll be there doing my greatest and will probably be having fun with the occasion as a result of I set a goal for myself final 12 months to qualify for the World Gravel Championships on this age group so I will probably be there to take pleasure in and provides it my greatest shot.”
The ‘pleasure’ of being a racecar driver
The dialog wound down with a dialogue of Bottas’ precise day-to-day job: Being a race automobile driver.
Prompted by the nice “Soiled Facet of the Monitor” podcast on Threads, I first requested Bottas what type of observe he considers probably the most demanding: A high-speed, high-power observe or one thing extra technically demanding.
The reply? Each.
“All tracks are tough if you’re competing with the very best,” started Bottas. “There are 19 different drivers on the market which might be a number of the greatest drivers in all the world. They make no observe simple.”
Monaco is actually a tough observe, as Bottas continued to elucidate, however then there’s the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix, which poses one other set of challenges.
“As you talked about there are tracks like Monaco which might be a bit much less forgiving and you must must be exact at every flip after which there are tracks like Singapore the place the temperature might be extremely scorching,” continued Bottas. “All of those conditions require psychological fortitude to get to the end line.”
Lastly, I ended Bottas with a query I’ve been asking each driver I’ve been fortunate sufficient to talk with: What’s the hardest a part of your job, and what’s the one factor you would like I knew about being a race automobile driver?
His reply was, as anticipated, good.
“There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes, it isn’t simply displaying as much as hop within the automobile and head out onto the observe and drive quick,” mentioned Bottas. It’s a must to prepare laborious bodily, which is one thing that I take pleasure in so much and there are numerous conferences and technique periods and varied obligations that you must fulfill all whereas your workforce is engaged on the automobile to be sure to’re able to race every week.
“It’s a complicated sport and profession, however there’s loads of pleasure.”
