Mercedes reserve driver Valtteri Bottas’ life outside of F1 from girlfriend to wine and gin

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Valtteri Bottas is much more than a quick racing driver, so here is everything that you need to know about the Finn including his motorsport career and investment in wine.

Bottas is currently acting as Mercedes’ reserve driver, in a role that gives rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli valuable insight. But the much-loved Finn will return to the F1 grid in 2026, after it was announced that he and Sergio Perez will drive for Cadillac during their debut campaign.

Cadillac are the fourth team on Bottas’ F1 CV, which started with Williams in the 2013 term. He also drove for Mercedes from 2017 to ‘21, after replacing Nico Rosberg as the teammate of Lewis Hamilton, before joining Sauber (initially while called Alfa Romeo) from 2022 to ’24.

Williams initially benched Bottas in 2012 as he spent a third season as the Grove outfit’s test driver. He also spent 2012 as their reserve driver and drove in 15 practice sessions in the 20-race year. Bottas eventually made his race debut at the 2013 Australian GP and secured P14.

Moving to Mercedes also saw Bottas secure second place in the F1 drivers’ championship in 2019 and 2020 behind Hamilton. But his Grand Prix-winning record would ultimately not be enough to later tempt Audi to retain him at Sauber beyond 2024 after buying the Swiss crew.

Mercedes took advantage of Bottas’ situation to coax the Finn back to Brackley in December 2024 as their Formula 1 reserve driver for the 2025 season. Bottas agreed to act as a deputy for the man who succeeded him in 2022, George Russell, plus Antonelli in his rookie season.

Valtteri Bottas started out in Formula 1 with Williams

Bottas stayed with Williams until after the 2016 F1 season when Mercedes sought to replace Rosberg following the German’s shock retirement after winning the title. He had entered 77 Grand Prix for the team Frank Williams created and took nine podiums over 2014 and 2015.

Williams saw Bottas secure his first Grand Prix podium at the 2014 Austrian GP. But his first pole position would not arrive at the Finn’s feet until the 2017 Bahrain GP on his third race with Mercedes. While Bottas’ debut win also came in round four of 2017 at the Russian GP.

Leaving Grove for Brackley in 2017 marked a departure from where Bottas had called home since 2010. He joined Williams as their test driver whilst challenging for the Formula 3 Euro Series. Bottas also won the 2011 GP3 title with Williams’ backing with four wins in 16 races.

Junior success came regularly throughout Bottas’ early days after moving to single-seaters in 2007. He took the bronze medal in the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC championship in his first year. While Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault 2.0 NEC titles arrived in 2008.

Valtteri Bottas had lavish junior success and served in the army

Bottas even won 12 of the 14 races en route to the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC title and sealed 13 pole positions that year. His instant success in single-seaters further followed several go-karting titles, including taking Formula A class honours in the 2006 WSK International Series.

His passion for karting came after entering a race for the first time at the age of five. He also won go-karting events early on in his racing career. But Bottas also briefly served in the army as is obligated by the Constitution of Finland. He got the rank of Corporal during his service.

But who really is Bottas and what is the Finnish driver’s life outside of Formula 1 like? Well, F1 Oversteer dives into everything that you need to know about the multiple Grand Prix winner…

How old is Valtteri Bottas? What is his age?

At the time of writing, Valtteri Bottas is 36 years old. He was born on August 28, 1989 to his parents father, Rauno Bottas, and mother, Marianne Valimaa. His father used to run a small cleaning company in Finland, while his mum was an undertaker before Bottas broke into F1.

Where was Valtteri Bottas born? What is his nationality?

Valtteri Bottas was born in Nastola, a small former municipality of Finland before it merged with the city of Lahti in 2016. The Finn remained in Nastola until his teen years when Bottas moved to Heinola to study to be a car mechanic, before moving to Oxford, England in 2010.

Bottas moved to England after joining Williams as a test driver to be closer to their factory in Grove. But he also moved to Monaco in 2013 and continues to call the Principality his home.

How tall is Valtteri Bottas? What is his height in feet?

Standing at a height of 1.73m tall, Valtteri Bottas measures in at 5 ft 8 in.

Who is Valtteri Bottas’ girlfriend? Does he have a wife?

Valtteri Bottas has been dating his girlfriend, Tiffany Cromwell, since January 2020. The pair confirmed their relationship just two months after Bottas announced his divorce to ex-wife, Emilia Pikkarainen, after three years, citing the ‘challenges my career and life situation bring’.

Cromwell is an Australian cyclist, currently riding with the Canyon//SRAM racing team in the UCI Women’s World Tour. She was born in Stirling, a suburb of Perth, on July 6, 1988. Bottas also joined Cromwell in a road cycling race after the 2023 Emilia Romagna GP was cancelled.

Bottas also dedicated his race helmet for the 2022 Australian GP to Cromwell and asked her to design it, too. It featured an array of notes towards her home country, including the flag of Australia and even a shark. Bottas also finished the Melbourne race P8 from 12th on the grid.

Valtteri Bottas’ net worth

Spending more than a decade on the Formula 1 grid and furthering his income with a host of interests outside of the series helped Valtteri Bottas to build a net worth of $30m (£23.5m).

Valtteri Bottas has invested in Ihana wine, Oath gin and Kahiwa coffee

Valtteri Bottas has boosted his net worth with his investments outside Formula 1, including in the wine, gin and coffee industries. Coffee has been a big part of Bottas’ brand since he was at Mercedes as the Finnish racer started taking an espresso cup with him into their garage.

Bottas also furthered his ties to coffee by investing in Kahiwa in 2020 for a 20% share of the company from Lahti, Finland. He first learned of the brand upon returning to his hometown amid the Covid-19 pandemic and ordering a bag of beans before learning more about them.

The gin industry then took Bottas and girlfriend Tiffany Cromwell’s interest in 2023, with the couple launching OATH Gin before that year’s Australian GP. It uses oats from the farm that Bottas’ uncle owns in Finland and apples from Adelaide near Cromwell’s hometown, Stirling.

OATH Gin is distilled in Finland to take advantage of one of the purest sources of tap water in the world, as well. While Bottas furthered his interests again in 2023 with a Shiraz he blends himself with grapes from a small family-owned vineyard, Oliver’s Taranga, in South Australia.

Valtteri Bottas’ Formula 1 career stats

As of the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season, Valtteri Bottas has so far entered a total of 247 Grands Prix. He got his F1 debut in the 2013 Australian Grand Prix driving with Williams. He also ranks 35th for Grand Prix wins and 17th for pole positions all-time in Formula 1 history.