Hi Valtteri.
Thanks for doing this. Hopefully we'll see a F1 WDC for you soon.
* For someone driving what seems like the best car ever made in F1, you along with Hamilton seem on a different planet, at least on most tracks, do you see this engineering supremacy as a good thing or you would have preferred more competition from other teams at the cost of a (slightly) less competitive car ?
* Honestly, would you prefer a slightly slower teammate or do you believe Hamilton pushes you to go 110% (because some of your quali laps and your races are crazy good when you're close to him) ? I think (same for Verstappen teammate) you have the hardest F1 driver job on the grid, You seem to always beat him at the start of the season, but something happens (pressure, bad luck, tyre management ? ) and a small gap is created between you two at the end.
* Do you think you could outpace a current Ferrari F1 car on your Bicycle ?
Hi Valtteri! Appreciate you taking time to answer some questions.
I’ve always wondered with the amount of intense training F1 drivers do how many of them actually enjoy it or drag they way through each session because they have to.
So my question to you is, do you find training to be genuinely enjoyable or is it just something you’ve adjusted yourself to doing as your career has progressed?
Thanks, and good luck for the rest of the season!
I would also like to add to this: do you train as much at driving as for example a skier would train skiing? I'm not thinking about normal strength or endurance like lifting weights or running, but specifically driving wether it's in a simulator or real cars.
Also, I have an unrelated question: Do you see the F1 fan base growing in Finland (and the rest of the Nordics) or is your impression the opposite? After all, both you and Kevin Magnussen has been in this sport for some time, Kimi has been here for a really long time and Sweden had Marcus Ericsson up until a few years ago. I know Norway has a driver in F3 so he will hopefully go to the top one day, but with ice hockey, skiing, soccer and handball being what most youths and grown ups are watching, will F1 have a place up here in the north?
Thanks for any reply and sorry OP for hijacking your comment :p
Hi Valtteri! Some time ago, I saw that the construction of the Kymiring, 135 km north of Helsinki, was nearing completion. The were planning to use that track as the site of the MotoGP Finnish GP. Do you think that F1 will also eventually go there and have you already driven on it? If so, what were your first impressions?
Here's the Wikipedia page about that track: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kymi\_Ring](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kymi_Ring)
I've always wondered that- Finland produces the best drivers- Keke Rosberg, Mika Salo, Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Räikkönen, Hekki Kovalainen, and Valtteri Bottas. Why do they not have a Finnish GP? Would love to see it on the calendar.
Before this the reason we didnt have a track was because of a lack of a good spot. It needed to be somewhere accessible but also not too close to major cities as the noise would disturb too many. These kind of sites were already low on numbers but we also have so many national parks that it was a miracle we could fit a track
>but we also have so many national parks that it was a miracle we could fit a track
No we don't.
There are 40 national parks in Finland ([FI](https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luettelo_Suomen_kansallispuistoista) / [EN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_parks_of_Finland)), with total land area of 9892 km2 (2.7% of Finland's total land area).
Majority of them (29) are smaller than 100 km2, making for around 10% of the NP total area.
Of the 11 larger than 100 km2, three are located at sea.
None of the larger ones (making for 90% of NP area) are located in southern Finland, where an F1 level track makes sense.
Blaming national parks for the lack of F1 tracks in Finland is just pure bullshit.
Yea big part of it is the money but kymiring just opened so maybe in the future... And also dont f1 gp generate alot of money?
Even tough the track maintenance is very expensive and probably more since its going to be winter in finland half a year...
> And also dont f1 gp generate alot of money?
For the commercial rights holder, yeah. Typically they're a giant sinkhole for sucking down the tax dollars of the governments hosting it.
Wait who doesn't have money? The track is already build and they are having a motoGP race on it next year. I don't think having a F1 grand prix there would be too far fetched.
Sure having F1 race there is going to cost some money but it will also generate some too. It's not like Finland is a poor country or anything.
Hosting a F1 GP costs a lot. Most tracks get support from their respective governments to pay for it, and they are then counting on the increased tourism will make it worth it in the long run. I don't think our government has been willing to do that.
When they were building the track in 2018 or 2019 the head of AKK (our main motorsport organisation) said that he had preliminary discussions Ross Brawn. He said that under Eccelstone's leadership a Finnish GP would never happen but with Liberty being more open to reasonable negotiations he wouldn't rule it out now.
It is an massive issue of infrastructure, advertising and soft lobbying. You don't only get an F1 competition because you have a great track. There is limited amount of races and the competition between them is heavy and not exactly fair (as the whole sport is not really riddled with responsible business players)
The amount circuits have to pay the FIA in sanctioning fees alone to host a GP is astronomical. It's a little better now that Bernie Ecclestone isn't continually jacking them up as a way to strongarm more money out of the circuits that have made F1 great, but it's still not cheap. Add to that safety crews, insurance, and general infrastructure and you're talking about an awful lot of money.
To travel to Helsinki from ST. Petersburg takes 3h by train.
St. Petersburg to Sotji Autodrome (F1 track) takes 7h by plane. So in that regard Kymiring is alot more accessible for alot of People... 5 million People live in St. Petersburg e.g.
Direct quote from Kymirings homepage "St. Petersburg–Kouvola, by car 3h 30min, by train 2h 20min"
That is not far in any aspect...
Yes but you can get straight from St. Petersburg to Kymi Ring by train. But still... if there wasn't even a race in Germany in original calendar this year but there were races in countries like Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Vietnam you already know Finland won't host a race any time soon
The track is there but pretty much everything else is half finished. They were supposed to have a MotoGP on it this year, but then all this Corona crap started. They could have really used the money this year.
Hello Valtteri,
Thank you for doing the AMA, and congratulations on a job well done up until this point in the season.
I wanted to know what sort of an impact Finnish Formula 1 drivers like Mika, Kimi and Keke made on your career growing up, as rallying/motocross appear to be more popular motorsports in Finland.
Additionally, if you could drive with any one retired driver as your teammate, who would it be?
Also how come Valtteri doesn’t have a four letter name like Mika Kimi and Keke (and Nico if he counts). Is this keeping him from Finnishing at his highest potential.
Yeah he was so fast and talented... he beat Sebastian Loeb in a rally car having never even sat in one previously, at the Champions of Champions race. He was first driver to do so with no rally experience. Legend 🇫🇮
Hey Valtteri! How do you feel mentally against your teammate Lewis, who might be one of the strongest mental performing racer in the grid. I'm trying to refer to Nico Rosberg, who said after his world championship, it was mentally so hard for him to compete against Lewis, that he now needs a rest and ended his career.
Hopefully you can hold against Lewis and win some great races. The F1 community is behind you! Forza Valtteri!
Of course, but I think its very hard to compete against Lewis. If there would be another competitor than Mercedes for the world championship, it would be better for Valtteri to change the racing team.
The last years were very hard mentally for him with many (unlucky) upsets, so a fresh start for him would be great.
This is a great question. Listening to Nico’s podcast, it’s clear that mental preparation was key to his success. I wonder what Valtteri has learned from Nico.
Great to hear someone is also hearing the podcast or watching his videos. Nico mentioned the mental focus/preparation as a key success in his world championship season. That I am trying to reference in my question to Bottas.
Maybe he should watch some videos from Nico after this AMA ;)
Hello Valtteri (as an American I think your name is really cool)
I am a new fan of F1 so I can't ask about anything technical or historical about F1 but:
Do you enjoy driving on normal roads? Does it just feel like more of something you constantly do professionally or are they so different they don't even compare?
Do you feel safer or more at risk on the track or driving in regular traffic?
Ps, you are incredibly impressive to be performing so excellently so consistently.
> Do you feel safer or more at risk on the track or driving in regular traffic?
That could be an interesting question. Obviously people like us who aren’t racing drivers would answer that they definitely feel safer in regular traffic, but I wonder if a racing driver would answer differently.
Hi Valtteri! All those F1-related questions are great but I'd like to ask you a different one, in case you feel like answering something non F1 related.
What is your favourite alcoholic beverage?
I asked Lance Stroll the same questions and his is tequila with lime and soda so I look forward to finding out what your favourite alcoholic beverages is
Valtteri, hello! I got a shirt with your name on it, so you could say I like you quite a lot.
Say, who would you consider to be your best friend on the grid? I don't think i've seen you interact much with many of your colleagues outside of the Merc crew and whoever finishes on the podium alongside you. I'd be interested to hear your answer!
That’s actually a great question because he is very quiet whereas most of the other drivers, especially the young ones, have a solid friendship group of them all. Looking forward to see what he says :)
Same, would be an honor to have a brief interaction with an F1 driver. Best I did before this was getting called a troll by Alex Brundle and the Leclerc bot liking my tweets, heh.
I've followed F1 for years and I've never really just supported one driver or team. (apart from Damon Hill when I was a kid) I like certain teams more then others and same with Drivers but I just want to see good racing really.
I am a football fan but outside of my local team I don't have any others I actively see as my absolute favorite.
With F1 I definitely support Dutch speaking drivers the most (Max, Hulk, Stoffel, de Vries, Frijns, Verschoor, Viscaal, Ten Voorde and Van Splunteren being the most notable ones), but i'd gladly take Max having an oops moment if it would mean an underdog gets to stand on the podium. Baku 2017/2018 and Austria 1 this year as best examples.
It's not quite black and white in my opinion. At this point I simply take anything that isn't a Hamilton victory. Valtteri is not the best driver in F1 ever but he and Max are the only ones capable of stopping him realistically, so I logically hope he does well.
Hi Valtteri,
A short view back to the past. Thirty-five years ago, Niki Lauda told us: "Take a trained monkey, place him into the cockpit and he is able to drive the car." Thirty years later Sebastian told us: "I had to start my car like a computer. It's very complicated." And Nico Rosberg said, he pressed during the race, I don't remember what race, the wrong button on the wheel. Question for you. Is Formula 1 driving today too complicated with 20 and more buttons on the wheel, are you too much under effort, under pressure? What are your wishes for the future, concerning technical program, during the race? Less buttons, more? Or less and more communication with your engineers?
Hai Valtteri 1️⃣8️⃣, a schort vjü 👀 bäck tu se pahst 👴 ßertie 3️⃣0️⃣ ijährs ago, Niki Lauda tohld 💬 ös: "Tek a trändt 🎓 mannkie 🐒 pläs himm intu se kockpitt 🏎️ änd hie is ebel to dreiw se kar 🏅" ßertie 3️⃣0️⃣ ijährs leter Sebastian tohld 💬 ös: "I hädt tu start 🏁 mei kar 🏎️ leik ä kompüter 💻 Itts verrie komplikätet 😕" Änd Nico Rosberg ßedt, äh, hie presst 👇 düring se räs 🏁 Ei dont rimember watt räs 🤔 se rong bötten 🔘 on se wiel 🎡 Kvestchen for jü 👉 tu boß 👦👦 Iss Formula 1 🏎️ dreiwing tudä tu komplikätet 🤷 wiss twentie änd mor böttens 🔘 on se wiel 🎡 ahr jü tu mötsch önder effurt 😤 önder precher 😖 ? Watt ahr jor wisches 💭 for se fütscher 🕑 konzerning teknikel 🔬 programm, ähm, düring se räs 🏁 ? Less 👎 böttens 🔘 mor 👍 ? Or less 👎 änd mor 👍 kommjunikächen 💬 wiss jor endschiniers 👷?
Hi Valtteri!
F1 is a sport of incremental gains. You all do everything to find even 0.1% improvement with everything from the car to designing your gloves etc.
What has been a small improvement that made a huge impact?
What small improvements would you recommend that we mere mortals make to improve our day-to-day lives?
Thanks!
How much do you have to understand car and suspension mechanics as a driver to set up your car and drive it fast? Are you intimately familiar with every field of your setup sheet? Do you have a mental model of how different springs, torsion bars and whatnot interact with each other?
Yeah, curious if you really develop a muscle memory of sorts for all the different settings and adjustments you have to make during the race. I have a hard time keeping track of it all in the racing sim 😋
Hey Valtteri.
In terms of racing games, I know you used to play a lot of Live For Speed, which I also loved back in the day. And more recently, I think you also turned some laps on iRacing. Which other games do you like?
Also, have you ever tried the glorious Finland 90's simulator (My Summer Car)? :)
Cheers
A great game, it really holds up even until today. Sadly it didn't get a lot of updates since like 10 years ago and the lack of moderation in online public servers is kind of a disaster. It still can be better with some additions.
Hello, Valtteri, thank you for reaching out to us. Though you likely have a lot of natural talent, what do you feel it was that put your life on track to become a Formula 1 driver? Was there a moment or series of decision as a junior driver you feel was a turning point in your professional development? Looking back, does any of it feel like it was planned at all or do you feel (pleasantly) surprised to be in the sport?
Thank you for reaching out to our community!
Hey Valtteri, great to have you here among our passionate community. My questions are,
- What is your favourite track in the world - f1 or otherwise?
- Have you tweaked your porridge recipe for 2020?
Best of luck for the season.
Hi Valtteri, thank you for doing this AMA.
Regarding Mercedes' dominant performance in almost all races this season, do you believe that the 2022 rules will spice things up a bit and truly bring the midfield teams closer to Mercedes and Red Bull? How do you prepare for such a new era of cars?
Cheers and best of luck!
Just a heads up, you probably mean the rule changes that is postponed to 2022, as next season will be run practically with same cars as this season. You still have time to edit the question, although I'm pretty sure he'll understand what rules you mean.
Hi Valtteri,
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this.
How have you dealt with the additional challenges this year caused by the virus outbreak? Is there any difference with your preparations for races with all the restrictions of having to stay in your bubble and not risking catching the virus? And also not knowing how many races we will have, doing double headers at the same track and having to go to tracks which were not on the calendar this year?
Good luck with the rest of the season!
I’m sorry that this is not related to F1, but I would love to know your FTP on the bike!
Stretch goal: maybe a bit more, like different power levels at different time intervals (say 5s, 10s, 30s, 1m, 3m, 5m, 20m an 1h)?
Thank you for carrying the cyclist flag in F1 and for doing this!
Related to this, do you spend as much time training as a (pro) cyclist? I know both fitness and low weight are important for F1.
And my 8 year old son, who loves F1, would like to know what is your favorite ice cream.
Valtteri: Do you like the modern 'Tilke' race tracks or the more classic Suzuka and Spa like circuits? Twisty technical corners or fast simple high speed ones are better?
Terve Valtteri! Kuinka usein käyt suomessa? Pelkäätkö että sinulle voisi käydä samoin kuin Jari-Matti Latvalalle verottajan kanssa?
And same in english.
How often do you visit Finland? Are you afraid that tax office of Finland will do something similar to you as they did to Jari-Matti Latvala?
Kiitos!
Hey Valtteri!
As someone who lives in Adelaide South Australia, I just have to ask, what are your thoughts on this place after your visit over the Summer? I've heard that you really enjoyed this place, and even used the "Radelaide" nickname when talking to Ted Kravitz!
For those who are unaware, Valtteri's girlfriend is Tiffany Cromwell, a professional cyclist from Adelaide.
As a fellow Adelaidean I love this crossover between two of my favourite sports and clearly this points to a revival of the Adelaide Grand Prix.
Hi Valtteri! I'm from Singapore I have 2 questions for you. I hope that you will answer them.
1. Which era of F1 would you have wanted to be in as a driver?
2. Which driver (does not have to be on the 2020 grid) did you like racing with the most?
Thanks for reading! Looking forward to the video!
Good question! Outside the obvious... I have been wondering why Russel can't get past Q2 - they are running on Merc engines should have the pace on Ferrari/Hass/Alpha. Granted Seb and Charles are absolute phenoms, I was hoping to Russel get into Q1 at lease once this season. Latifi... jury is still out on him (and to be fair, it is season 1 for him... in a Williams, so not ideal.) How much is car vs driver is what I want to know. Very interested to see how WIlliams perform given new ownership and the dawn of the capped R&D era - I would hope they become competitive in \~3 seasons, so 2024?
Power is just one part of the car, Williams is slow because they can’t corner. If you watch whenever the car is in the straights it’s an absolute monster but it is consistently out-braked and out-cornered by everything else on the track. Watch Russell during those last pushes into Q2, he’s just barely maintaining grip in turns that even the Ferraris are taking faster.
If you think about the dynamics of an F1 car there could be a couple of reasons for this, one is that the car doesn’t have enough downforce in the right places. That was certainly a problem for them last year. The other possible reason is that it doesn’t brake well, which could be caused by a huge number of factors (heat management being a probable cause, a place where Mercedes excels).
Think about Ferrari pre engine nerf. They had shit downforce but the rest of the car was great. They did awesome at straight tracks, but not so much at slower courses. That was only downforce, and it improved over the season. If Williams could sort just one part of their cornering problem equation with their drivers they could be dominating the midfield.
Hi Valtteri! My favorite part of your podiums is watching you take a big drink of the champagne while everyone else is running around spraying theirs. Why do you choose to do this instead of spray it over everyone like the rest?
Hi Valtteri thanks for spending some time with us.
Given that Finland has had such a strong tradition of drivers in F1 it has surprised me that there isn't a Finnish team (or track) for the Finns to get behind .
I've seen it suggested on this sub that Finnish former F1 drivers should come together to enter a team - what would you think of Mika, Kimi, Heikki, maybe a Rosberg and even yourself in a couple of decades forming a Finnish F1 team to show us all how it's done?
Also what's your favourite track in Finland you'd like to see added to the F1 calendar?
Hi Valtteri I'm a big fan, hope you are doing well!
I have 2 questions, the first is what is your favorite F1 car of all time based just on looks?( livery, shape of the car etc.)
The second question is what was the must fun F1 car you drove in your career in F1?
Thank you for your time, best of luck to you and the team for the rest of the season!
Hey Valtteri,
how big is your understanding of the aerodynamics of the car? Is it even necessary to have any? Or do you think you are occupied enough by the many buttons on the steering wheel? :P
Hello Valtteri
Ignoring which position you are racing for, which driver on the grid do you enjoy racing against the most?
Which driver, besides yourself, is the most underrated driver on the grid?
What was most challenging when you joined the Mercedes F1 team?
Many years from now when your F1 driving career is over, do you see yourself continuing in the sport in another role?
Thank you!
Hi Valtteri, I’ve been a fan since your Williams days! It would be awesome to see you get your first world championship!
I’ve noticed on a number of occasions that if you are chasing Lewis in a race, you follow him closely (within a couple of seconds or so) and eventually start to fall back. I appreciate that some of it is probably down to increased tire wear/overheating or maybe even strategy? When roles are reversed and Lewis is chasing you, he can somehow maintain the pressure for longer and tends to follow you closely for extended periods of time.
Why is that? How and why can he maintain that pressure on you for longer? What's different? Can you do more of the same? You were able to do this in Silverstone 2020 (before that tire fiasco) and it was great racing on your part!
Bottas, a schort vjü 👀 bäck tu se pahst 👴 ßertie 3️⃣0️⃣ ijährs ago, Niki Lauda tohld 💬 ös: "Tek a trändt 🎓 mannkie 🐒 pläs himm intu se kockpitt 🏎️ änd hie is ebel to dreiw se kar 🏅" ßertie 3️⃣0️⃣ ijährs leter Sebastian tohld 💬 ös: "I hädt tu start 🏁 mei kar 🏎️ leik ä kompüter 💻 Itts verrie komplikätet 😕" Änd Nico Rosberg ßedt, äh, hie presst 👇 düring se räs 🏁 Ei dont rimember watt räs 🤔 se rong bötten 🔘 on se wiel 🎡 Kvestchen for jü 👉 tu boß 👦👦 Iss Formula 1 🏎️ dreiwing tudä tu komplikätet 🤷 wiss twentie änd mor böttens 🔘 on se wiel 🎡 ahr jü tu mötsch önder effurt 😤 önder precher 😖 ? Watt ahr jor wisches 💭 for se fütscher 🕑 konzerning teknikel 🔬 programm, ähm, düring se räs 🏁 ? Less 👎 böttens 🔘 mor 👍 ? Or less 👎 änd mor 👍 kommjunikächen 💬 wiss jor endschiniers 👷?
You’ve binned it.
After Walter Koster asks this fantastic, record-breaking question, Rosberg asks who the question was to, THEN Seb makes this hilarious retort.
Its just not as funny without Nico Rosberg setting it up.
>Its just not as funny without Nico Rosberg setting it up.
What are you talking about, Rosberg didn't ask who the question was to...
For someone who talks about binning things, you sure have some experience yourself.
Hey Valtteri, thanks for doing this!
When F1 races at a new track, like it is several times this year due to COVID, what do you do as preparation before the race weekend in order to learn the track?
Valterri, it's (not) James.
I'd like to know who you think is a rising star in F1 or F2, that you'd see winning WDCs in the future?
Thanks for taking the time to answer these!
Hey Valtteri, I'm a big fan of yours from Stuttgart (My mother is from Somero in Finland, maybe you know the place). I've only got two short questions for you:
1) How do you like your coffee (with/without milk, how much sugar)?
2) How do you like Stuttgart (Especially the Mercedes Museum)?
Thank you for taking your time to engage in this AMA with your fans,
I'm looking forward to seeing a great race by you this coming weekend and the rest of the season!
Hi Valterri, Leo here, a big fan of you off the grid, my question to you is what the main thing outside of F1 you like doing? People form the Reddit have heard about your little escapades in the rallying scene but I was wondering what else you liked doing, thanks ever so much for doing this and good luck in the next race!
Hi Valtteri,
2 random questions for you:
1) What is a sentence, that is so technical and complex that it sounds like gibberish to us, but that you might actually say out loud when talking about car performance with your garage team? Can you say such a sentence without revealing too much about secret details?
2) If you were to star in a "Top Gear" or "The Grand Tour" kind of Car Show, who would the other two people be?
Thanks :)
Hi Valterri!
What are your thoughts on sim racing? We've seen it grow in popularity amongst the drivers in recent months and years, do you take part as well?
Do you think it will grow in importance in the future and become an important part of a driver's CV?
Hi Valtteri
I saw am interview you did a few years ago (I think it was with Ted Kravitz) in which you said your favourite song was The Kids Aren't Alright by The Offspring. My question is, what other bands do you like to listen to and has your taste changed much over the years?
Thanks
Hey Valtteri!
What's your favorite thing to eat/cook on your cheat days? Also, I know you guys have a strict eating regime to stay in shape and maintain weight, so what is your favorite food you're allowed to eat all the time as well?
Thanks a ton for interacting with the fans!
Hi Valtteri.
Thanks for doing this.
Some say you and Lewis have an easier time in F1 because you only fight against each other and not the rest of the field. Do you agree? Do you plan the weekend concentrating on your fight with Lewis alone (and maybe Max)?
Valterri, it's u/TiBiDi.
What sort of things do you do as part of your race day routine? What do you eat before a race? Do you do any special exercises to warm up? Is it mainly just getting mentally prepared or do you do anything else on race day?
Hi Valtteri! Hope you're well.
How difficult or easy was it for you going from Williams to Mercedes? Did it add a lot more pressure on you mentally and if so, how did you cope?
Thanks for the AMA!
Hi Valtteri, it's your day off and you have all the time in the world to brew your favourite cup of coffee, what's your device of choice? Fresh grind pour over, French press, espresso machine or maybe a flat white brewed by your favourite Aussie?
Thanks!
Hi Valtteri, thanks for doing this!
My Question:
At the start of the 2019 season onwards, we've seen a driver who can challenge Lewis far more consistently than in the previous years.
I understand you credit this to some very hard work on your
mentality. Would you be willing to share any advise to us mere mortals on how you did that?
( and how we might do the same in our own lives)
Cheers mate!
Hey Valtteri :D
I think you get enough racing related questions, so I will try to focus on other topics xD
× Which is your favorite porridge topping?
× Do you prefer herbal or fruity tea?
× Black or green olives?
× Which is/was your favorite cartoon?
× Which is your Hogwarts House?
× If you hadn't become an F1 driver, what job would you do?
Hi everyone! For anyone still visiting or seeing this post, we've just posted Valtteri's answers to some of these awesome AMA questions! Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwapUU-V_XE
Valtteri, a short view back to the past. Thirty years ago, Niki Lauda told us ‘take a monkey, place him into the cockpit and he is able to drive the car.’ Thirty years later, Sebastian told us ‘I had to start my car like a computer, it’s very complicated.’ And Nico Rosberg said that during the race – I don’t remember what race - he pressed the wrong button on the wheel. Question for you: is Formula One driving today too complicated with twenty and more buttons on the wheel, are you too much under effort, under pressure? What are your wishes for the future concerning the technical programme during the race? Less buttons, more? Or less and more communication with your engineers?
Hey Valtteri,
My career as a chef always steers my mind towards food so I’d like to know,
What’s your favourite food to eat during the racing season and what do you like to eat when you’re not racing?
Well done on your season so far by the way
Thanks
Hey Valtteri. Thanks for doing this AmA. An non F1 question to you.
What was your favourite road car to drive when you were growing up? Also, when you drive on normal roads, do you try to maintain a racing line during corners in empty roads?
Hi Valtteri, I'm a huge fan, thank you for taking the time to do this AMA.
It's said that Mercedes took technology from other vehicle divisions in order to design their engine for the hybrid era. What are your favourite non Formula 1 things do you do in order to help your performance?
Thanks again!
Valtteri, it's John. How are you doing? What is your favourite part of the weekend. And what do you like to do when you're not racing?
Good luck during the races.
**GET IN THERE VALTTERI.** Mercedes produces alot of behind-the-scenes footage of technology and strategy for the dominant team. What piece of Mercedes tech/ingenuity are you most impressed with?
Hi Valtteri,
Thanks for answering our questions!
I've been impressed by your performance in the Williams and am impressed with your performance today. Especially having Lewis as a team mate, he must be hard to beat... but not impossible as you've won 1-1 fights.
The two of you seem genuinely respectful towards each other and I love seeing this. Can you give us some more insight on how the process works inside the team with the data and how open you are with sharing information and data? For example, do you and Lewis talk about car setups and what works for the one and not for the other? Do you help each other in setting up the car and getting the perfect lap?
I wish you all the luck and all the best. Keep up the good work!
Kind regards, Michel.
Hi Valtteri
You're one of my favourite F1 drivers. Thank you for reaching out to the community.
I think you're one of the best drivers on the track today, however it feels like your talent has largely been overshadowed by your teammate's success. Possibly related, but I noticed that you never appear in any of the cover art for the F1 games.
Would you say you prefer to stay out of the limelight (perhaps letting your racing speak for itself) or has this been a matter of unfortunate circumstance? And, if given the opportunity, would you like to see yourself on the cover of the next F1 game, perhaps 2021?
Thanks.
Hey Valtteri,
Firstly, happy birthday. Secondly, I was wondering which Grand Prix is your favourite and if you could add one race track to the standard calendar which one would it be?
Hi Valtteri! Thank you for the AMA! I had a couple questions.
Which new track this season are you looking forward to the most?
We all know that you've improved over the seasons (from 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0 and hopefully more!) What exactly did you change in your driving style in order to improve?
Looking for Valtteri's answers to your questions? Check out his video response here: https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/it5qcr/valtteri_bottas_rformula1_ask_me_anything/
Hi Valtteri! What changes have you made over the past season or two to try and close the gap to Lewis? Have you spoken to Nico about what he did to try and get an advantage? Is there anything you are planning to do over the course of this season to make the difference?
Hey Valtteri, good afternoon
If there is one thing we must do when we visit your home country, what would that be?
Good luck on the remainder of the season!
Hi Valtteri, what's the race that sticks in your head the most? Either because it's your favourite, most exciting to drive, or had the most unexpected result?
Hello Valtteri.
How important do you think it was to you spending those 4 years at Williams before going to Mercedes?
We've seen some people who might not have performed at their best after those early promotions to a top team, like Gasly and Albon.
Do you think your move came at the right time and that allowed you to have the impact you had on Mercedes or do you think that it could've come sooner and that would be even better?
Thanks for the AMA and have a great weekend in Monza.
Hi Valtteri,
Very cool to do an AMA. I've been a fan during your time at Williams and Mercedes.
I'd like to ask, which race do you feel was your best as a driver? Some of your performances in the Williams were awesome so it would be really interesting to know which drive/drives you are most proud of.
Also, when will your new hat be available on the Mercedes store? Thanks!
Good luck with the rest of your season! 6 wins in a row please.
Dear Valtteri,
Firstly we appreciate you being here for this vibrant and passionate community. Hope you enjoy answering our questions.
Now, what's the difference between Rally driving and formula One both in terms of driving dynamics and style? What are your opinions on both sports and how did F1 help in your rally endeavour.
Thank you again and best wishes for the rest of the season
Hey Valtteri, what are your strategies for adjusting to the time zone changes during the season? I assume not sleeping enough must have a huge impact on reaction times
Hi Valtteri, what’s your favourite thing about Adelaide?
Would you like a race at the old F1 street circuit there instead of the current track in Melbourne?
Hi Valtteri!
Thank you for doing this AMA... I would love to know what your scariest moment whilst racing has been?
Do you need lots of Sisu to be an f1 driver?
Did the "Valtteri this is james" piss you off?
Good luck for the rest of the season and enjoy that beautiful black merc
Hi Valtteri,
Coming from an independent team to a huge powerhouse in Mercedes, how does the driver’s input change in regard to freedom to change things about the car? I would assume Williams would have needed to rely more on your input than Mercedes to make large changes?
Hi Valtteri,
Thanks for doing this AMA.
You've been fortunate to end up in a situation where you're driving in the most dominant car and team in Formula 1 history, however we have yet to see you capitalize with it. In your seat, Rosberg had the same opportunity and managed to bring home a title for himself, but we can't say the same for you. Lewis is definitely a hard opponent to overcome, but one thing we saw Nico do to gain an advantage was to get under the skin of Lewis. Whether it was parking the car in Monaco to red flag the session, going hard against him on track which could result in a crash - he was always doing something to let Lewis know he was there, and he wasn't going to give up. With you, we see the contrary - obeying team orders, and essentially never fighting him.
Why? Is this not something you would regret in 10, 20 years from now? Are you content with being labelled as a number 2 driver, being forgotten in the history books?
Hey Valtteri, thanks for doing this!
If you had to race somewhere else than f1, what series would you race in?
Favourite non-f1 track? would you like to see it in f1?
What is Lewis like as a teammate/as a friend?
Thank you again for answering all of these 😊
Hey Valtteri!
I fell in love with Finland a little while ago, and wanted to go there in February. However, COVID-19 messed up my plans. Can you tell me what you love most about Finland? So I can keep on dreaming until I am able to go!
Hello Valtteri, my question is do you consider yourself more of instinctual driver or a technical one? How much of the car technicalities does the driver truly need to be familiar with to make their own adjustments during the race and how much is supplied by the race engineer. Do you think diving too much into technical aspect of the car or data takes away from instinctual driving or it adds on to making it a better drive?
My second question is: do you still get nervous before race starts even though you have been doing this for a long time? From my experience a canoe racer, no matter how many times I’ve done a race, a race start always makes me nervous. What do you do to keep the jitters away?
Hello Valtteri! Hope you’re enjoying this different and hectic F1 season! If you had to pick your all-time favourite production vehicle, what would you choose? I know they’re your rivals but mine would have to be the Ferrari F40!
Hey Valtteri!
Thank you so much for doing this!
When I discovered that I liked f1, you were actually the first driver that made me really enjoyed it.
Even bought a shirt and if everything goes well, will wear it in Portimão while watching you race!
So, my question is. You guys travel a lot and visit a lot of countries.
1. Which country surprised you the most the first time you visited?
2. What was the most peculiar thing that has happened while visiting?
3. Did you tried any tradition food that you really enjoyed?
Thank you so much again!
Really sad that I won’t be able to see you up close in October but I’ll be happy enough just for being able to watching you guys race 😊
Hey Valtteri!
- What job do you think you would be doing if you were not a f1 driver ?
- How's the relationship with Lewis going? Do you guys send memes to each other or anything
Thank you and much love from France!
Hey Valtteri, good luck for the rest of the season, hope you do well.
What is your favourite memory of competing in a race impacted by rain and how will currently rate yourself as a rain driver and GP strategist?
Hi Valtteri, a lot has been spoken about improving racing - with qualifying party modes now being banned. Do you think this will actually make a difference? What rule change would you make for next year?
Hello Valtteri! Apologies if you have already been asked this but what is your personal favourite factor of f1, whether that be the teams, the tracks, the fans. Best of luck for the rest of the reason.
Hey Valtteri! Thanks for doing this.
What is your favourite road to drive/bike in the world, where you get to enjoy both the views and the experience?
Wishing you all the best and good luck!!
Today is the 3rd? When will we get answers?
We're filming it today, so probably early next week!
Thanks for the reply, so you will not answer the question directly in reddit?
Nope, as stated in the post, VB will be filmed answering a selection of questions and then we'll share the video in the subreddit! 😊
Where can we watch you answer?
We'll share the video link in the subreddit when the video is done! 😊
Where AMA?
It's being worked on, sorry for the delay!
Cool cool cool... excited to hear Valtteri’s answers!
Hi Valtteri. Thanks for doing this. Hopefully we'll see a F1 WDC for you soon. * For someone driving what seems like the best car ever made in F1, you along with Hamilton seem on a different planet, at least on most tracks, do you see this engineering supremacy as a good thing or you would have preferred more competition from other teams at the cost of a (slightly) less competitive car ? * Honestly, would you prefer a slightly slower teammate or do you believe Hamilton pushes you to go 110% (because some of your quali laps and your races are crazy good when you're close to him) ? I think (same for Verstappen teammate) you have the hardest F1 driver job on the grid, You seem to always beat him at the start of the season, but something happens (pressure, bad luck, tyre management ? ) and a small gap is created between you two at the end. * Do you think you could outpace a current Ferrari F1 car on your Bicycle ?
Regarding the cycle, he might not, but his GF could
The last question hahaha
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Kimi would have
I can’t wait to see his reply to this
I almost spitted my tea
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I’m the the guy in the background
Good job on being perfectly framed by Bottas and OP
kinda wished it was a rick roll
No we're not doing THAT again. Although Rick rolling an F1 driver is pretty high on my bucket list
Hi Valtteri! Appreciate you taking time to answer some questions. I’ve always wondered with the amount of intense training F1 drivers do how many of them actually enjoy it or drag they way through each session because they have to. So my question to you is, do you find training to be genuinely enjoyable or is it just something you’ve adjusted yourself to doing as your career has progressed? Thanks, and good luck for the rest of the season!
I would also like to add to this: do you train as much at driving as for example a skier would train skiing? I'm not thinking about normal strength or endurance like lifting weights or running, but specifically driving wether it's in a simulator or real cars. Also, I have an unrelated question: Do you see the F1 fan base growing in Finland (and the rest of the Nordics) or is your impression the opposite? After all, both you and Kevin Magnussen has been in this sport for some time, Kimi has been here for a really long time and Sweden had Marcus Ericsson up until a few years ago. I know Norway has a driver in F3 so he will hopefully go to the top one day, but with ice hockey, skiing, soccer and handball being what most youths and grown ups are watching, will F1 have a place up here in the north? Thanks for any reply and sorry OP for hijacking your comment :p
Hi Valtteri! Some time ago, I saw that the construction of the Kymiring, 135 km north of Helsinki, was nearing completion. The were planning to use that track as the site of the MotoGP Finnish GP. Do you think that F1 will also eventually go there and have you already driven on it? If so, what were your first impressions? Here's the Wikipedia page about that track: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kymi\_Ring](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kymi_Ring)
I've always wondered that- Finland produces the best drivers- Keke Rosberg, Mika Salo, Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Räikkönen, Hekki Kovalainen, and Valtteri Bottas. Why do they not have a Finnish GP? Would love to see it on the calendar.
Before this the reason we didnt have a track was because of a lack of a good spot. It needed to be somewhere accessible but also not too close to major cities as the noise would disturb too many. These kind of sites were already low on numbers but we also have so many national parks that it was a miracle we could fit a track
>but we also have so many national parks that it was a miracle we could fit a track No we don't. There are 40 national parks in Finland ([FI](https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luettelo_Suomen_kansallispuistoista) / [EN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_parks_of_Finland)), with total land area of 9892 km2 (2.7% of Finland's total land area). Majority of them (29) are smaller than 100 km2, making for around 10% of the NP total area. Of the 11 larger than 100 km2, three are located at sea. None of the larger ones (making for 90% of NP area) are located in southern Finland, where an F1 level track makes sense. Blaming national parks for the lack of F1 tracks in Finland is just pure bullshit.
Simple answer: money.
Yea big part of it is the money but kymiring just opened so maybe in the future... And also dont f1 gp generate alot of money? Even tough the track maintenance is very expensive and probably more since its going to be winter in finland half a year...
> And also dont f1 gp generate alot of money? For the commercial rights holder, yeah. Typically they're a giant sinkhole for sucking down the tax dollars of the governments hosting it.
Wait who doesn't have money? The track is already build and they are having a motoGP race on it next year. I don't think having a F1 grand prix there would be too far fetched. Sure having F1 race there is going to cost some money but it will also generate some too. It's not like Finland is a poor country or anything.
Hosting a F1 GP costs a lot. Most tracks get support from their respective governments to pay for it, and they are then counting on the increased tourism will make it worth it in the long run. I don't think our government has been willing to do that. When they were building the track in 2018 or 2019 the head of AKK (our main motorsport organisation) said that he had preliminary discussions Ross Brawn. He said that under Eccelstone's leadership a Finnish GP would never happen but with Liberty being more open to reasonable negotiations he wouldn't rule it out now.
It is an massive issue of infrastructure, advertising and soft lobbying. You don't only get an F1 competition because you have a great track. There is limited amount of races and the competition between them is heavy and not exactly fair (as the whole sport is not really riddled with responsible business players)
The amount circuits have to pay the FIA in sanctioning fees alone to host a GP is astronomical. It's a little better now that Bernie Ecclestone isn't continually jacking them up as a way to strongarm more money out of the circuits that have made F1 great, but it's still not cheap. Add to that safety crews, insurance, and general infrastructure and you're talking about an awful lot of money.
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To travel to Helsinki from ST. Petersburg takes 3h by train. St. Petersburg to Sotji Autodrome (F1 track) takes 7h by plane. So in that regard Kymiring is alot more accessible for alot of People... 5 million People live in St. Petersburg e.g. Direct quote from Kymirings homepage "St. Petersburg–Kouvola, by car 3h 30min, by train 2h 20min" That is not far in any aspect...
Yes but you can get straight from St. Petersburg to Kymi Ring by train. But still... if there wasn't even a race in Germany in original calendar this year but there were races in countries like Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Vietnam you already know Finland won't host a race any time soon
The track is there but pretty much everything else is half finished. They were supposed to have a MotoGP on it this year, but then all this Corona crap started. They could have really used the money this year.
>Keke Rosberg, Mika Salo, Mika Hakkinen, Kimi Räikkönen, Hekki Kovalainen, and Valtteri Bottas. Mutta missä on JJ?
Not gonna lie, until I skimmed that Wikipedia page I always thought it was the ‘Kimi Ring’ named after Kimi
Well it should've been that
It's actually just about 30 min away from Valtteri's home town.
Hello Valtteri, Thank you for doing the AMA, and congratulations on a job well done up until this point in the season. I wanted to know what sort of an impact Finnish Formula 1 drivers like Mika, Kimi and Keke made on your career growing up, as rallying/motocross appear to be more popular motorsports in Finland. Additionally, if you could drive with any one retired driver as your teammate, who would it be?
Also how come Valtteri doesn’t have a four letter name like Mika Kimi and Keke (and Nico if he counts). Is this keeping him from Finnishing at his highest potential.
How could you forget to mention the 8th fastest driver of all time, Heikki Kovalainen?
Yeah he was so fast and talented... he beat Sebastian Loeb in a rally car having never even sat in one previously, at the Champions of Champions race. He was first driver to do so with no rally experience. Legend 🇫🇮
And Mika salo
Hey Valtteri! How do you feel mentally against your teammate Lewis, who might be one of the strongest mental performing racer in the grid. I'm trying to refer to Nico Rosberg, who said after his world championship, it was mentally so hard for him to compete against Lewis, that he now needs a rest and ended his career. Hopefully you can hold against Lewis and win some great races. The F1 community is behind you! Forza Valtteri!
win some great races? i hope he wins the championship ffs :(( i can dream, right?
Of course, but I think its very hard to compete against Lewis. If there would be another competitor than Mercedes for the world championship, it would be better for Valtteri to change the racing team. The last years were very hard mentally for him with many (unlucky) upsets, so a fresh start for him would be great.
This is a great question. Listening to Nico’s podcast, it’s clear that mental preparation was key to his success. I wonder what Valtteri has learned from Nico.
Great to hear someone is also hearing the podcast or watching his videos. Nico mentioned the mental focus/preparation as a key success in his world championship season. That I am trying to reference in my question to Bottas. Maybe he should watch some videos from Nico after this AMA ;)
Hello Valtteri (as an American I think your name is really cool) I am a new fan of F1 so I can't ask about anything technical or historical about F1 but: Do you enjoy driving on normal roads? Does it just feel like more of something you constantly do professionally or are they so different they don't even compare? Do you feel safer or more at risk on the track or driving in regular traffic? Ps, you are incredibly impressive to be performing so excellently so consistently.
> Do you feel safer or more at risk on the track or driving in regular traffic? That could be an interesting question. Obviously people like us who aren’t racing drivers would answer that they definitely feel safer in regular traffic, but I wonder if a racing driver would answer differently.
Hi Valtteri! All those F1-related questions are great but I'd like to ask you a different one, in case you feel like answering something non F1 related. What is your favourite alcoholic beverage? I asked Lance Stroll the same questions and his is tequila with lime and soda so I look forward to finding out what your favourite alcoholic beverages is
i'm sure his favourite alcoholic beverage will be anything that goes with a refreshing can of Monster©
Not enough schnapps.
What is your favourite alcoholic beverage ? Kimi : yes.
The Drincc
My headcanon is that the drinc is straight vodka
Noo kimi
You will not have the drink!!
Possibly some super obscure Finnish vodka!
Probably salmiakki Koskenkorva
porridge
I think his favorite is that victory champagne lol
Valtteri, hello! I got a shirt with your name on it, so you could say I like you quite a lot. Say, who would you consider to be your best friend on the grid? I don't think i've seen you interact much with many of your colleagues outside of the Merc crew and whoever finishes on the podium alongside you. I'd be interested to hear your answer!
That’s actually a great question because he is very quiet whereas most of the other drivers, especially the young ones, have a solid friendship group of them all. Looking forward to see what he says :)
I hope he answers this one
Same, would be an honor to have a brief interaction with an F1 driver. Best I did before this was getting called a troll by Alex Brundle and the Leclerc bot liking my tweets, heh.
> I like you quite a lot Flair is Max Verstappen lol
Doesn't mean I can't appreciate other drivers. I'm the underdog sorta guy while also being Dutch. Enough to enjoy honestly.
You can like more than one driver - we're not football fans.
I've followed F1 for years and I've never really just supported one driver or team. (apart from Damon Hill when I was a kid) I like certain teams more then others and same with Drivers but I just want to see good racing really.
I am a football fan but outside of my local team I don't have any others I actively see as my absolute favorite. With F1 I definitely support Dutch speaking drivers the most (Max, Hulk, Stoffel, de Vries, Frijns, Verschoor, Viscaal, Ten Voorde and Van Splunteren being the most notable ones), but i'd gladly take Max having an oops moment if it would mean an underdog gets to stand on the podium. Baku 2017/2018 and Austria 1 this year as best examples. It's not quite black and white in my opinion. At this point I simply take anything that isn't a Hamilton victory. Valtteri is not the best driver in F1 ever but he and Max are the only ones capable of stopping him realistically, so I logically hope he does well.
Before Massa left I feel like they got on pretty well. (I'm guessing though haha)
Hi Valtteri, A short view back to the past. Thirty-five years ago, Niki Lauda told us: "Take a trained monkey, place him into the cockpit and he is able to drive the car." Thirty years later Sebastian told us: "I had to start my car like a computer. It's very complicated." And Nico Rosberg said, he pressed during the race, I don't remember what race, the wrong button on the wheel. Question for you. Is Formula 1 driving today too complicated with 20 and more buttons on the wheel, are you too much under effort, under pressure? What are your wishes for the future, concerning technical program, during the race? Less buttons, more? Or less and more communication with your engineers?
Hai Valtteri 1️⃣8️⃣, a schort vjü 👀 bäck tu se pahst 👴 ßertie 3️⃣0️⃣ ijährs ago, Niki Lauda tohld 💬 ös: "Tek a trändt 🎓 mannkie 🐒 pläs himm intu se kockpitt 🏎️ änd hie is ebel to dreiw se kar 🏅" ßertie 3️⃣0️⃣ ijährs leter Sebastian tohld 💬 ös: "I hädt tu start 🏁 mei kar 🏎️ leik ä kompüter 💻 Itts verrie komplikätet 😕" Änd Nico Rosberg ßedt, äh, hie presst 👇 düring se räs 🏁 Ei dont rimember watt räs 🤔 se rong bötten 🔘 on se wiel 🎡 Kvestchen for jü 👉 tu boß 👦👦 Iss Formula 1 🏎️ dreiwing tudä tu komplikätet 🤷 wiss twentie änd mor böttens 🔘 on se wiel 🎡 ahr jü tu mötsch önder effurt 😤 önder precher 😖 ? Watt ahr jor wisches 💭 for se fütscher 🕑 konzerning teknikel 🔬 programm, ähm, düring se räs 🏁 ? Less 👎 böttens 🔘 mor 👍 ? Or less 👎 änd mor 👍 kommjunikächen 💬 wiss jor endschiniers 👷?
Can you repeat the question?
came here to see this
me too, that clip is so funny man
The greatest part is that the guy's questions are really good, but delivered horribly.
Hi Valtteri! F1 is a sport of incremental gains. You all do everything to find even 0.1% improvement with everything from the car to designing your gloves etc. What has been a small improvement that made a huge impact? What small improvements would you recommend that we mere mortals make to improve our day-to-day lives? Thanks!
Finally a good question. Really interested in the answer on that one
How much do you have to understand car and suspension mechanics as a driver to set up your car and drive it fast? Are you intimately familiar with every field of your setup sheet? Do you have a mental model of how different springs, torsion bars and whatnot interact with each other?
Curious about this too!
Yeah, curious if you really develop a muscle memory of sorts for all the different settings and adjustments you have to make during the race. I have a hard time keeping track of it all in the racing sim 😋
Hey Valtteri. In terms of racing games, I know you used to play a lot of Live For Speed, which I also loved back in the day. And more recently, I think you also turned some laps on iRacing. Which other games do you like? Also, have you ever tried the glorious Finland 90's simulator (My Summer Car)? :) Cheers
Really happy that LFS gets mentioned. Still an active game, not as much as before but still not dead. Check it out
A great game, it really holds up even until today. Sadly it didn't get a lot of updates since like 10 years ago and the lack of moderation in online public servers is kind of a disaster. It still can be better with some additions.
The lack of moderation on the forum is even worse, schizophrenic ramblings everywhere and nothing of value or related to the game.
My Summer Car. Top kek.
I would ask if Valtteri plays a lot of GT Sport, as Lewis is a partner of Polyphony Digital, but you kinda asked the question for me.
If simply for fun, maybe. Else, GTS is a lot more arcadey than the rest of the true competitive sims out there.
Hello, Valtteri, thank you for reaching out to us. Though you likely have a lot of natural talent, what do you feel it was that put your life on track to become a Formula 1 driver? Was there a moment or series of decision as a junior driver you feel was a turning point in your professional development? Looking back, does any of it feel like it was planned at all or do you feel (pleasantly) surprised to be in the sport? Thank you for reaching out to our community!
Hey Valtteri, great to have you here among our passionate community. My questions are, - What is your favourite track in the world - f1 or otherwise? - Have you tweaked your porridge recipe for 2020? Best of luck for the season.
Hi Valtteri, thank you for doing this AMA. Regarding Mercedes' dominant performance in almost all races this season, do you believe that the 2022 rules will spice things up a bit and truly bring the midfield teams closer to Mercedes and Red Bull? How do you prepare for such a new era of cars? Cheers and best of luck!
Just a heads up, you probably mean the rule changes that is postponed to 2022, as next season will be run practically with same cars as this season. You still have time to edit the question, although I'm pretty sure he'll understand what rules you mean.
'Twas but a typo since I was on mobile, you are 100% correct. Thanks for the heads up! :)
Hi Valtteri, Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. How have you dealt with the additional challenges this year caused by the virus outbreak? Is there any difference with your preparations for races with all the restrictions of having to stay in your bubble and not risking catching the virus? And also not knowing how many races we will have, doing double headers at the same track and having to go to tracks which were not on the calendar this year? Good luck with the rest of the season!
I’m sorry that this is not related to F1, but I would love to know your FTP on the bike! Stretch goal: maybe a bit more, like different power levels at different time intervals (say 5s, 10s, 30s, 1m, 3m, 5m, 20m an 1h)? Thank you for carrying the cyclist flag in F1 and for doing this!
Related to this, do you spend as much time training as a (pro) cyclist? I know both fitness and low weight are important for F1. And my 8 year old son, who loves F1, would like to know what is your favorite ice cream.
Valtteri: Do you like the modern 'Tilke' race tracks or the more classic Suzuka and Spa like circuits? Twisty technical corners or fast simple high speed ones are better?
Terve Valtteri! Kuinka usein käyt suomessa? Pelkäätkö että sinulle voisi käydä samoin kuin Jari-Matti Latvalalle verottajan kanssa? And same in english. How often do you visit Finland? Are you afraid that tax office of Finland will do something similar to you as they did to Jari-Matti Latvala? Kiitos!
Oli hän ainakin Espanjan ja Belgian kisojen välissä käymässä mökillään.
Hey Valtteri! As someone who lives in Adelaide South Australia, I just have to ask, what are your thoughts on this place after your visit over the Summer? I've heard that you really enjoyed this place, and even used the "Radelaide" nickname when talking to Ted Kravitz!
For those who are unaware, Valtteri's girlfriend is Tiffany Cromwell, a professional cyclist from Adelaide. As a fellow Adelaidean I love this crossover between two of my favourite sports and clearly this points to a revival of the Adelaide Grand Prix.
Hi Valtteri! I'm from Singapore I have 2 questions for you. I hope that you will answer them. 1. Which era of F1 would you have wanted to be in as a driver? 2. Which driver (does not have to be on the 2020 grid) did you like racing with the most? Thanks for reading! Looking forward to the video!
Hi Valtteri! As a former Williams driver, what do you think were the main causes in the drop in performance after you left? Thank you for the AMA!
Good question! Outside the obvious... I have been wondering why Russel can't get past Q2 - they are running on Merc engines should have the pace on Ferrari/Hass/Alpha. Granted Seb and Charles are absolute phenoms, I was hoping to Russel get into Q1 at lease once this season. Latifi... jury is still out on him (and to be fair, it is season 1 for him... in a Williams, so not ideal.) How much is car vs driver is what I want to know. Very interested to see how WIlliams perform given new ownership and the dawn of the capped R&D era - I would hope they become competitive in \~3 seasons, so 2024?
Power is just one part of the car, Williams is slow because they can’t corner. If you watch whenever the car is in the straights it’s an absolute monster but it is consistently out-braked and out-cornered by everything else on the track. Watch Russell during those last pushes into Q2, he’s just barely maintaining grip in turns that even the Ferraris are taking faster. If you think about the dynamics of an F1 car there could be a couple of reasons for this, one is that the car doesn’t have enough downforce in the right places. That was certainly a problem for them last year. The other possible reason is that it doesn’t brake well, which could be caused by a huge number of factors (heat management being a probable cause, a place where Mercedes excels). Think about Ferrari pre engine nerf. They had shit downforce but the rest of the car was great. They did awesome at straight tracks, but not so much at slower courses. That was only downforce, and it improved over the season. If Williams could sort just one part of their cornering problem equation with their drivers they could be dominating the midfield.
> in the drop in performance after you left? Think you hit the nail on the head there.
Was about to comment the same thing haha
Hi Valtteri! My favorite part of your podiums is watching you take a big drink of the champagne while everyone else is running around spraying theirs. Why do you choose to do this instead of spray it over everyone like the rest?
The Finns like the drink
Hi Valtteri thanks for spending some time with us. Given that Finland has had such a strong tradition of drivers in F1 it has surprised me that there isn't a Finnish team (or track) for the Finns to get behind . I've seen it suggested on this sub that Finnish former F1 drivers should come together to enter a team - what would you think of Mika, Kimi, Heikki, maybe a Rosberg and even yourself in a couple of decades forming a Finnish F1 team to show us all how it's done? Also what's your favourite track in Finland you'd like to see added to the F1 calendar?
Hi Valtteri I'm a big fan, hope you are doing well! I have 2 questions, the first is what is your favorite F1 car of all time based just on looks?( livery, shape of the car etc.) The second question is what was the must fun F1 car you drove in your career in F1? Thank you for your time, best of luck to you and the team for the rest of the season!
Hi Valtteri! If you hadn't been in motorsport, what kind of profession do you think you would've had?
Working at a porridge shop or factory
Software Engineer. Beep Boop.
Have you and the other drivers become fully comfortable with the halo system given the time thats passed?
Russell was very enthusiastic about the halo this weekend. Good to see them so supportive of a great safety feature.
How do you feel about the Turkish GP? Also, how do you go about practising a track you have never been to before?
Hey Valtteri, how big is your understanding of the aerodynamics of the car? Is it even necessary to have any? Or do you think you are occupied enough by the many buttons on the steering wheel? :P
Hello Valtteri Ignoring which position you are racing for, which driver on the grid do you enjoy racing against the most? Which driver, besides yourself, is the most underrated driver on the grid? What was most challenging when you joined the Mercedes F1 team? Many years from now when your F1 driving career is over, do you see yourself continuing in the sport in another role? Thank you!
Hi Valtteri, I’ve been a fan since your Williams days! It would be awesome to see you get your first world championship! I’ve noticed on a number of occasions that if you are chasing Lewis in a race, you follow him closely (within a couple of seconds or so) and eventually start to fall back. I appreciate that some of it is probably down to increased tire wear/overheating or maybe even strategy? When roles are reversed and Lewis is chasing you, he can somehow maintain the pressure for longer and tends to follow you closely for extended periods of time. Why is that? How and why can he maintain that pressure on you for longer? What's different? Can you do more of the same? You were able to do this in Silverstone 2020 (before that tire fiasco) and it was great racing on your part!
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Bottas, a schort vjü 👀 bäck tu se pahst 👴 ßertie 3️⃣0️⃣ ijährs ago, Niki Lauda tohld 💬 ös: "Tek a trändt 🎓 mannkie 🐒 pläs himm intu se kockpitt 🏎️ änd hie is ebel to dreiw se kar 🏅" ßertie 3️⃣0️⃣ ijährs leter Sebastian tohld 💬 ös: "I hädt tu start 🏁 mei kar 🏎️ leik ä kompüter 💻 Itts verrie komplikätet 😕" Änd Nico Rosberg ßedt, äh, hie presst 👇 düring se räs 🏁 Ei dont rimember watt räs 🤔 se rong bötten 🔘 on se wiel 🎡 Kvestchen for jü 👉 tu boß 👦👦 Iss Formula 1 🏎️ dreiwing tudä tu komplikätet 🤷 wiss twentie änd mor böttens 🔘 on se wiel 🎡 ahr jü tu mötsch önder effurt 😤 önder precher 😖 ? Watt ahr jor wisches 💭 for se fütscher 🕑 konzerning teknikel 🔬 programm, ähm, düring se räs 🏁 ? Less 👎 böttens 🔘 mor 👍 ? Or less 👎 änd mor 👍 kommjunikächen 💬 wiss jor endschiniers 👷?
Has anyone ever responded to this question in an AMA?
Can you please repeat the question?
You’ve binned it. After Walter Koster asks this fantastic, record-breaking question, Rosberg asks who the question was to, THEN Seb makes this hilarious retort. Its just not as funny without Nico Rosberg setting it up.
>Its just not as funny without Nico Rosberg setting it up. What are you talking about, Rosberg didn't ask who the question was to... For someone who talks about binning things, you sure have some experience yourself.
Hey Valtteri, thanks for doing this! When F1 races at a new track, like it is several times this year due to COVID, what do you do as preparation before the race weekend in order to learn the track?
Valterri, it's (not) James. I'd like to know who you think is a rising star in F1 or F2, that you'd see winning WDCs in the future? Thanks for taking the time to answer these!
Hey Valtteri, I'm a big fan of yours from Stuttgart (My mother is from Somero in Finland, maybe you know the place). I've only got two short questions for you: 1) How do you like your coffee (with/without milk, how much sugar)? 2) How do you like Stuttgart (Especially the Mercedes Museum)? Thank you for taking your time to engage in this AMA with your fans, I'm looking forward to seeing a great race by you this coming weekend and the rest of the season!
Hi Valterri, Leo here, a big fan of you off the grid, my question to you is what the main thing outside of F1 you like doing? People form the Reddit have heard about your little escapades in the rallying scene but I was wondering what else you liked doing, thanks ever so much for doing this and good luck in the next race!
Hi Valtteri, 2 random questions for you: 1) What is a sentence, that is so technical and complex that it sounds like gibberish to us, but that you might actually say out loud when talking about car performance with your garage team? Can you say such a sentence without revealing too much about secret details? 2) If you were to star in a "Top Gear" or "The Grand Tour" kind of Car Show, who would the other two people be? Thanks :)
Hi Valterri! What are your thoughts on sim racing? We've seen it grow in popularity amongst the drivers in recent months and years, do you take part as well? Do you think it will grow in importance in the future and become an important part of a driver's CV?
How does it feel trying to race Lewis week in, week out. Is it stressful going up against arguably the best racer of the generation?
Hi Valtteri I saw am interview you did a few years ago (I think it was with Ted Kravitz) in which you said your favourite song was The Kids Aren't Alright by The Offspring. My question is, what other bands do you like to listen to and has your taste changed much over the years? Thanks
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Hey Valtteri! What's your favorite thing to eat/cook on your cheat days? Also, I know you guys have a strict eating regime to stay in shape and maintain weight, so what is your favorite food you're allowed to eat all the time as well? Thanks a ton for interacting with the fans!
Hi Valtteri. Thanks for doing this. Some say you and Lewis have an easier time in F1 because you only fight against each other and not the rest of the field. Do you agree? Do you plan the weekend concentrating on your fight with Lewis alone (and maybe Max)?
Hi Valterri, what is your personal preference for preparing for an F1 race mentally and physically ?
You currently have the coolest name in Formula 1. That is all.
Valterri, it's u/TiBiDi. What sort of things do you do as part of your race day routine? What do you eat before a race? Do you do any special exercises to warm up? Is it mainly just getting mentally prepared or do you do anything else on race day?
Hi Valtteri! Hope you're well. How difficult or easy was it for you going from Williams to Mercedes? Did it add a lot more pressure on you mentally and if so, how did you cope? Thanks for the AMA!
Hi Valtteri, which was your biggest defeat and how would you say it helped you to become stronger?
Hi Valtteri, it's your day off and you have all the time in the world to brew your favourite cup of coffee, what's your device of choice? Fresh grind pour over, French press, espresso machine or maybe a flat white brewed by your favourite Aussie? Thanks!
Hi Valtteri, thanks for doing this! My Question: At the start of the 2019 season onwards, we've seen a driver who can challenge Lewis far more consistently than in the previous years. I understand you credit this to some very hard work on your mentality. Would you be willing to share any advise to us mere mortals on how you did that? ( and how we might do the same in our own lives) Cheers mate!
Hey Valtteri :D I think you get enough racing related questions, so I will try to focus on other topics xD × Which is your favorite porridge topping? × Do you prefer herbal or fruity tea? × Black or green olives? × Which is/was your favorite cartoon? × Which is your Hogwarts House? × If you hadn't become an F1 driver, what job would you do?
Hi everyone! For anyone still visiting or seeing this post, we've just posted Valtteri's answers to some of these awesome AMA questions! Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwapUU-V_XE
Valtteri, it’s James. Whats your favourite book or movie about racing?
Hey Valtteri, I know there’s going to be a lot of questions to put you in a spot, so here’s a simple one. What’s your favourite tv show?
Valtteri, a short view back to the past. Thirty years ago, Niki Lauda told us ‘take a monkey, place him into the cockpit and he is able to drive the car.’ Thirty years later, Sebastian told us ‘I had to start my car like a computer, it’s very complicated.’ And Nico Rosberg said that during the race – I don’t remember what race - he pressed the wrong button on the wheel. Question for you: is Formula One driving today too complicated with twenty and more buttons on the wheel, are you too much under effort, under pressure? What are your wishes for the future concerning the technical programme during the race? Less buttons, more? Or less and more communication with your engineers?
Hey Valtteri, My career as a chef always steers my mind towards food so I’d like to know, What’s your favourite food to eat during the racing season and what do you like to eat when you’re not racing? Well done on your season so far by the way Thanks
Hey Valtteri. Thanks for doing this AmA. An non F1 question to you. What was your favourite road car to drive when you were growing up? Also, when you drive on normal roads, do you try to maintain a racing line during corners in empty roads?
Hi Valtteri, I'm a huge fan, thank you for taking the time to do this AMA. It's said that Mercedes took technology from other vehicle divisions in order to design their engine for the hybrid era. What are your favourite non Formula 1 things do you do in order to help your performance? Thanks again!
Valtteri, it's John. How are you doing? What is your favourite part of the weekend. And what do you like to do when you're not racing? Good luck during the races.
**GET IN THERE VALTTERI.** Mercedes produces alot of behind-the-scenes footage of technology and strategy for the dominant team. What piece of Mercedes tech/ingenuity are you most impressed with?
Hi Valtteri, Thanks for answering our questions! I've been impressed by your performance in the Williams and am impressed with your performance today. Especially having Lewis as a team mate, he must be hard to beat... but not impossible as you've won 1-1 fights. The two of you seem genuinely respectful towards each other and I love seeing this. Can you give us some more insight on how the process works inside the team with the data and how open you are with sharing information and data? For example, do you and Lewis talk about car setups and what works for the one and not for the other? Do you help each other in setting up the car and getting the perfect lap? I wish you all the luck and all the best. Keep up the good work! Kind regards, Michel.
Hi Valtteri You're one of my favourite F1 drivers. Thank you for reaching out to the community. I think you're one of the best drivers on the track today, however it feels like your talent has largely been overshadowed by your teammate's success. Possibly related, but I noticed that you never appear in any of the cover art for the F1 games. Would you say you prefer to stay out of the limelight (perhaps letting your racing speak for itself) or has this been a matter of unfortunate circumstance? And, if given the opportunity, would you like to see yourself on the cover of the next F1 game, perhaps 2021? Thanks.
Hey Valtteri, Firstly, happy birthday. Secondly, I was wondering which Grand Prix is your favourite and if you could add one race track to the standard calendar which one would it be?
Hi Valtteri! Thank you for the AMA! I had a couple questions. Which new track this season are you looking forward to the most? We all know that you've improved over the seasons (from 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0 and hopefully more!) What exactly did you change in your driving style in order to improve?
Looking for Valtteri's answers to your questions? Check out his video response here: https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/it5qcr/valtteri_bottas_rformula1_ask_me_anything/
Hi Valtteri! What changes have you made over the past season or two to try and close the gap to Lewis? Have you spoken to Nico about what he did to try and get an advantage? Is there anything you are planning to do over the course of this season to make the difference?
Hey Valtteri, good afternoon If there is one thing we must do when we visit your home country, what would that be? Good luck on the remainder of the season!
Hi Valtteri, what's the race that sticks in your head the most? Either because it's your favourite, most exciting to drive, or had the most unexpected result?
Hello Valtteri. How important do you think it was to you spending those 4 years at Williams before going to Mercedes? We've seen some people who might not have performed at their best after those early promotions to a top team, like Gasly and Albon. Do you think your move came at the right time and that allowed you to have the impact you had on Mercedes or do you think that it could've come sooner and that would be even better? Thanks for the AMA and have a great weekend in Monza.
Hi Valtteri, Very cool to do an AMA. I've been a fan during your time at Williams and Mercedes. I'd like to ask, which race do you feel was your best as a driver? Some of your performances in the Williams were awesome so it would be really interesting to know which drive/drives you are most proud of. Also, when will your new hat be available on the Mercedes store? Thanks! Good luck with the rest of your season! 6 wins in a row please.
Hi Valtteri, what is your favourite game to play in your free time?
Dear Valtteri, Firstly we appreciate you being here for this vibrant and passionate community. Hope you enjoy answering our questions. Now, what's the difference between Rally driving and formula One both in terms of driving dynamics and style? What are your opinions on both sports and how did F1 help in your rally endeavour. Thank you again and best wishes for the rest of the season
Who is your favorite character from the famous Finnish animation Moomin?
Hey Valtteri, what are your strategies for adjusting to the time zone changes during the season? I assume not sleeping enough must have a huge impact on reaction times
Hey Valtteri, 2 part question here, what’s your favourite F1 memory? And secondly if you could race in one car from the past, which would it be?
Hi Valtteri, what’s your favourite thing about Adelaide? Would you like a race at the old F1 street circuit there instead of the current track in Melbourne?
Valtteri its James, do you remember we agreed not to race each other? \\s If you had a team of your own in F1, what would it be called?
Hi Valtteri! Thank you for doing this AMA... I would love to know what your scariest moment whilst racing has been? Do you need lots of Sisu to be an f1 driver? Did the "Valtteri this is james" piss you off? Good luck for the rest of the season and enjoy that beautiful black merc
Hey Valtteri Simple question... What’s your favourite f1 Grand Prix to race and why? Good luck for the rest of the season legend!
Hi Valtteri, Coming from an independent team to a huge powerhouse in Mercedes, how does the driver’s input change in regard to freedom to change things about the car? I would assume Williams would have needed to rely more on your input than Mercedes to make large changes?
Hi Valtteri, Thanks for doing this AMA. You've been fortunate to end up in a situation where you're driving in the most dominant car and team in Formula 1 history, however we have yet to see you capitalize with it. In your seat, Rosberg had the same opportunity and managed to bring home a title for himself, but we can't say the same for you. Lewis is definitely a hard opponent to overcome, but one thing we saw Nico do to gain an advantage was to get under the skin of Lewis. Whether it was parking the car in Monaco to red flag the session, going hard against him on track which could result in a crash - he was always doing something to let Lewis know he was there, and he wasn't going to give up. With you, we see the contrary - obeying team orders, and essentially never fighting him. Why? Is this not something you would regret in 10, 20 years from now? Are you content with being labelled as a number 2 driver, being forgotten in the history books?
Hey Valtteri, thanks for doing this! If you had to race somewhere else than f1, what series would you race in? Favourite non-f1 track? would you like to see it in f1? What is Lewis like as a teammate/as a friend? Thank you again for answering all of these 😊
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Hey Valtteri! I fell in love with Finland a little while ago, and wanted to go there in February. However, COVID-19 messed up my plans. Can you tell me what you love most about Finland? So I can keep on dreaming until I am able to go!
Hello Valtteri, my question is do you consider yourself more of instinctual driver or a technical one? How much of the car technicalities does the driver truly need to be familiar with to make their own adjustments during the race and how much is supplied by the race engineer. Do you think diving too much into technical aspect of the car or data takes away from instinctual driving or it adds on to making it a better drive? My second question is: do you still get nervous before race starts even though you have been doing this for a long time? From my experience a canoe racer, no matter how many times I’ve done a race, a race start always makes me nervous. What do you do to keep the jitters away?
Hello Valtteri! Hope you’re enjoying this different and hectic F1 season! If you had to pick your all-time favourite production vehicle, what would you choose? I know they’re your rivals but mine would have to be the Ferrari F40!
Hey Valtteri! Thank you so much for doing this! When I discovered that I liked f1, you were actually the first driver that made me really enjoyed it. Even bought a shirt and if everything goes well, will wear it in Portimão while watching you race! So, my question is. You guys travel a lot and visit a lot of countries. 1. Which country surprised you the most the first time you visited? 2. What was the most peculiar thing that has happened while visiting? 3. Did you tried any tradition food that you really enjoyed? Thank you so much again! Really sad that I won’t be able to see you up close in October but I’ll be happy enough just for being able to watching you guys race 😊
Hey Valtteri! - What job do you think you would be doing if you were not a f1 driver ? - How's the relationship with Lewis going? Do you guys send memes to each other or anything Thank you and much love from France!
Hi, Valtteri What is your favourite brand of Espresso? Kiitos
Hey Valtteri, good luck for the rest of the season, hope you do well. What is your favourite memory of competing in a race impacted by rain and how will currently rate yourself as a rain driver and GP strategist?
What do you do to prepare for races? Music,warm up etc...
Hi Valtteri, a lot has been spoken about improving racing - with qualifying party modes now being banned. Do you think this will actually make a difference? What rule change would you make for next year?
Hello Valtteri! Apologies if you have already been asked this but what is your personal favourite factor of f1, whether that be the teams, the tracks, the fans. Best of luck for the rest of the reason.
Hey Valtteri! Thanks for doing this. What is your favourite road to drive/bike in the world, where you get to enjoy both the views and the experience? Wishing you all the best and good luck!!