Before Valtteri Bottas made his name in F1, he had to serve in the Finnish military as part of his mandatory military service. Bottas feels his time in the military taught him a lot and was a crucial foundation for his forthcoming success in F1.
In a YouTube video about 10 lesser-known facts about the Finn, he was quoted, “I felt like it turned me from a boy to a man. You definitely learn more about yourself. You also learn to work well with a team and the benefit of being able to work for something bigger together as a group.”
Now, conscription for men is mandatory in Finland and all males above the age of 18 have to complete military service, irrespective of their background. After they turn 18, they have to attend the military call-up, where if deemed fit for service, they are commissioned into armed or unarmed service.
Those men who are not physically fit for military service have to complete non-military civil service for 347 days. Meanwhile, the period for military service can be 165 or 255 days depending on the type of training the joinees receive.
Bottas also completed his military service at the age of 18 from 2008 to 2009 and earned the rank of Lance Corporal. Back then, the Finnish driver was racing in junior categories like Formula Renault and Formula 3. He had won the 2008 Formula Renault Eurocup and the Formula Renault Northern European Cup until then.
Found out that during mandatory military service in Finland, @ValtteriBottas went all the way up to Lance Corporal in rank, or korpraali.
“To whom it may concern… It’s CORPORAL #BOTTAS to you.” #F1 pic.twitter.com/NF9RKjGECB
— Peter Leung (@BaronVonClutch) March 31, 2019
It was in 2013 when Bottas made his F1 debut with Williams and the rest is history. After impressing at the Grove outfit, he got a surprise promotion to Mercedes following Nico Rosberg’s retirement in 2017. This was the start of the golden era of Bottas’ F1 career.
Bottas was an integral part of Mercedes’ dominant streak
Toto Wolff had known about Bottas’ talent, having seen him closely at Williams. The Finn was quite consistently scoring good points and getting the odd podium during his time at Williams. That is why, he became Wolff’s first choice when it came to replacing Rosberg.
When Bottas teamed up with Lewis Hamilton, he was also aiming to become a world champion. However, with Hamilton’s superior talent, the Finn often had to settle for being in the Briton’s shadow. Still, Bottas turned out to be a team player and helped Mercedes secure five consecutive constructors’ championships.
While he couldn’t win a championship with Mercedes, his 10 Grand Prix wins and several poles and podiums would always stay part of the folklore at the Silver Arrows. However, as his form dipped in 2021, the move to Sauber has been Bottas’ fall from the top. However, it was a blessing for his mental health due to the increasing pressure at Mercedes.
In 2024, owing to Sauber’s competitive struggles, the #77 driver is yet to score a point. Moreover, his contract is also up for renewal and there is uncertainty over his future with the impending Audi takeover of the Hinwil-based team.
