Valtteri Bottas
Finlandés · 2013–presente
Valtteri Bottas embodies the very fast driver who ended up as number two at the best team of an era. The quiet, hard-working Finn from Nastola earned his Williams seat before Mercedes called in 2017 to replace the newly retired Rosberg.
For five seasons he was Hamilton's team-mate and a key part of Mercedes' constructors' titles. He won ten races and took twenty poles (at times beating Hamilton in qualifying) but the team hierarchy and his own race-day inconsistency stopped him from genuinely fighting for a championship. His famous "To whom it may concern" after a big win in 2019 summed up, with humour, the pressure he carried.
In 2022 he sought a fresh start at Alfa Romeo, where he rediscovered his smile and a laid-back personality that made him even more popular. His career is that of a fine driver who served as a constant benchmark for the man many consider the greatest of all time.
What if Bottas had another car?
We took his real attributes and put him in the best car of each era: in a real driver's seat, against the team-mate that car actually had. 20 full seasons in each.
| Car | Team-mate | Finish | Wins | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLaren1988 | Alain Prost-91 pts | P2 | 2.1 | 0% |
| Williams1992 | Riccardo Patrese-8 pts | P2.3 | 4.7 | 20% |
| Ferrari2002 | Rubens Barrichello+5 pts | P1.4 | 8.6 | 60% |
| Red Bull2013 | Mark Webber+26 pts | P1.3 | 9.5 | 70% |
| Mercedes2016 | Lewis Hamilton-110 pts | P2 | 3.4 | 0% |
| Red Bull2023 | Sergio Perez+14 pts | P1.5 | 11.7 | 50% |
| Cadillac2026 · 11th on the grid | Himself, in 2026+14 pts | P10.6 | 0 | 0% |
The only one who beats him is Lewis Hamilton in the 2016 Mercedes: 110 points clear over a full season.
Ver en españolRating by season
- First season
- 72 2013
- Peak
- 82 2019
- 2026
- 72 Cadillac
13 seasons in the database, from 2013 to 2026. Our own rating, from 50 to 99.
Teams
Tags
Wins
10
Poles
20
Titles
0
Best year
2019
What would Valtteri Bottas have achieved with a different car or in a different era?
Hypotheses featuring Valtteri Bottas
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Where Valtteri Bottas comes up in what we have measured, with our own numbers.
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