Being an accomplished F1 driver Finn has earned a net worth of $25 Million from his racing career. Lately, the Alfa Romeo driver has invested some of his fortunes in business.
Bottas co-owns a coffee roastery: “Kahiwa Coffee Roasters” in Finland. He also launched “Oath Gin” along with his girlfriend, Tiffany Cromwell, in 2022. Now the Finn is planning to splurge on another venture. However, this time it will be closer to racing.
Valtteri Bottas interested in buying a Finnish race track
Valtteri Bottas has confirmed he has considered buying the Kymi Ring track in southern Finland. The Kymi Ring circuit was planned and developed to host MotoGP and F1 races.
However, since its completion in 2019, the track has not seen any racing action due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War. The track owners have put the track for sale after declaring insolvency in July 2022.
📰: Valtteri Bottas confirms he’s in talks to purchase the Kymi Ring circuit in Finland with other investors after it was declared bankrupt last year. Although intended for MotoGP, the circuit holds a Grade 1 FIA licence and could be used for Formula 1 races. Bottas is still… pic.twitter.com/i6paKCobgQ
— F1 Naija 🇳🇬 (@f1_naija) April 26, 2023
The Alfa Romeo driver has shown interest in buying the race track. He told Finnish news outlet IS, “I have discussed with potential buyers about investing in Kymi Ring. It is possible that I would join. However, I now first need further clarification on where exactly we are going.”
“I think it is still possible to make Kymi Ring a working concept,” The Finn claims he and his team are searching for solutions, but he claims, “It would be a shame if someone didn’t run the track.”
Know More about the Kymi Ring
The Kymi Ring is an FIA-graded race track in Kausala, southern Finland. It is located just 25 minutes from Nastola, the hometown of Valtteri Bottas.
The race track has multiple layouts, with the main track being 4.65 Km long with 18 corners. It was accredited with Grade-1 status, the highest grade from the FIA. This makes the circuit eligible for MotoGP and F1 races. This makes it the first and only track in Scandinavia to earn this status.
While the costs to operate and run F1 races are astronomical, the circuit signed a 5-year deal with MotoGP. The premiere motorbike series announced in 2016 that the sport would return to Finland for the first time since 1981. They also conducted a few tests in the circuit.
Finnish GP cancelled, replaced by back to back at the Red Bull Ring. No Russian GP – which was a possible between Finland and Austria – either pic.twitter.com/bpeDXBDPUL
— Mat Oxley (@matoxley) May 14, 2021
Although it was set to host the Finnish GP in 2020, the race was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Later, the 2021 Grand Prix was canceled again due to the pandemic and was pushed to 2022.
After Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, hosting the 2022 race was considered a security risk. The race was not included in the 2023 provisional calendar due to safety concerns.
