Plans for the time after Formula 1: Will Sauber driver Bottas soon be completely on the gravel map?

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At 34 years old, Valtteri Bottas (ten wins, 20 poles) is currently the fourth oldest driver in the Formula 1 field. But he still has a few goals for his employer Sauber. The Finn – his annual salary is estimated at five to eight million dollars – would like to continue driving for Hinwil in 2026. Then Audi joins the racing team and brings new ambitions with it.

Whether he stays in Formula 1 for that long or not: Bottas already knows what his life should look like after his motorsport career. The racing should not be over yet, as the Finn reveals in the podcast ‘Bobby and Jens’.

At Alfa-Sauber, Bottas is allowed to do what he was never allowed to do before

Valtteri Bottas is often on two wheels when he is not in the F1 car. The gravel bike, a mix of racing bike and mountain bike, has become the great passion of the Finns. He has participated in official races several times and has also stood on the podium. He could well imagine that he would soon be fully committed to this card.

In the past, when Bottas still drove for Mercedes, such commitments outside Formula 1 would have been unthinkable. He was recently given a lot of freedom at Alfa-Sauber. He used them more and more because of his passion for gravel.

Ambitious goals lie ahead

In June last year, Bottas even organized his own race, ‘Finland Gravel’, in his hometown of Lahti. Bottas told Blick at the time: “It’s nice to have time for other things than racing.”

The new Formula 1 season starts again in February. Until then, Bottas wants to remain a “Gümmeler”. Bottas is currently working on qualifying for this year’s Gravel World Championships. He always has good conditions during training. Bottas’ Australian girlfriend Tiffany Cromwell (35) is a professional gravel racer. (Gentlemen)

Source : Blick