Valtteri Bottas is the next F1 driver to face our Getting to Know quiz with a mixture of unusual, quickfire questions. From the moment that triggered his love for the sport to the F1 stars who would make his pro cycling team, and his musical experiences with former team mate Lewis Hamilton to the food-related gift he could not identify, the Finnish racer reveals all in the video player above and transcript below…
Can you describe yourself in three words?
Passionate, fast and relaxed.
What made you fall in love with F1?
The final hit for me was in 1997, when Mika Hakkinen won his first race in the last race of the season [at Jerez]. That famous race when Jacques [Villeneuve] and Michael [Schumacher] collided. That was the final thing [where I thought], ‘Okay, wow, that’s something crazy!’
When and where did you first drive something? Alex Albon told us about the time he drove around Disneyland as a five-year-old and cried…
[Laughs]. No, I didn’t cry! I did crash on my first lap, my very first lap. I was five years old and that was in my home town, in Finland, in Lahti.
How many times did it take you to pass your driving test?
The first time! Easily. The theory test, driving test, no worries! Even the truck licence, first time…