Valtteri Bottas is saying goodbye to Mercedes-AMG Petronas after five years, in style. His last race suit paid tribute to his home country, and, prior to the race, he let his girlfriend, Tiffany Cromwell, sit in his car.
Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas’ contract with Mercedes is up, and Mercedes already has a deal signed with George Russell for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, the Finnish will be joining Alfa Romeo Racing starting 2022. The last race in Abu Dhabi meant Valtteri's final race with Mercedes, and he wanted to make it count. Bottas switched the black outfit for a special blue suit, with the colors of the Finnish flag. He also wore a helmet designed by his girlfriend, cyclist Tiffany Cromwell. The helmet displayed a special thanks message to the Mercedes team. Prior to the race, he also let Tiffany sit in his car, as it was her last opportunity to try out the Black Arrow. The Australian cyclist posed inside his car, smiling big at the camera, as you can see in the attachment below. Although neither driver from Mercedes ended up winning this year’s title, they qualified for the second (Lewis Hamilton) and third positions in the overall ranking. While most thought Hamilton would end up winning his eighth World Drivers' Championship title, the Brit missed the opportunity on what most call bad luck. Speaking about it after the race, Bottas claimed he was “gutted” about the results, and he felt like he “lost the championship” himself: “Getting the constructors' is huge but at the same time it hurts that Lewis didn't get the Drivers'. Even for me, I feel like I lost the championship,” he said. “I really feel gutted for him because I believe he deserved it. He had a great start, a great race and then things change like this but that is the sport, we know that is how it goes. Sometimes it goes against [you], sometimes it goes for you but today was not our day.” After the race, fans shared videos of Bottas and Team Principal Toto Wolff in a nightclub. And the Mercedes shareholder didn't seem as upset as people thought he'd be.
For @ValtteriBottas final race with @MercedesAMGF1, he will use a special race suit for the #F1Finale at the #AbuDhabiGP. The race suit includes some features which are also visible on his helmet as well as the colors of the Finnish flag. #F1
???? @MercedesAMGF1 & @ValtteriBottas pic.twitter.com/QzUE0LrCrV— Decalspotters (@decalspotters) December 12, 2021
omg valtteri got WASTED wasted pic.twitter.com/kuMC1TcHFg
— mika (@mikamclaren) December 13, 2021
*o Toto Wolff deve estar chorando para os comissários até agora*
A realidade do Lobão neste momento: pic.twitter.com/xXdb04k34h— ceci ? (@pill0wtsk) December 13, 2021
Keyword: Valtteri Bottas Paid Tribute to His Country With Last Race's Suit