F1 star and Australian honorary Valtteri Bottas unleashes his inner mayor by doing a lapping action in the 1000th-winning V8 Supercar from Bathurst ahead of the Melbourne Grand Prix
Valtteri Bottas has taken his appreciation for all things Australian to a new level by becoming the latest Formula 1 driver to take a V8 Supercar for a spin.
From sporting a mullet to drinking a VB in a single jersey, Finn wears his love of Australia proudly on his sleeve, so the sight of him behind the wheel of the Bathurst 1000 winner seems like a logical next step.
Bottas, who won the 2019 Australian Grand Prix, was a special guest at the annual Adelaide Motorsport Festival and has driven a Holden Commodore around the former Formula One circuit in South Australia and the current V8 Supercars circuit.
The former Mercedes driver took to the track in a Holden VF Commodore V8 Supercar – the same car that won the 2016 Bathurst 1000 with Will Davison and Juno Webb at the wheel – and performed a front-row donut right in front of the crowd.
While Bottas’ cameo was an exhibition, footage from inside the cockpit shows the Formula 1 veteran isn’t afraid to put his foot on the gas, despite the slippery conditions on the track and his unfamiliarity with the car.
Valtteri Bottas was a special guest at the annual Adelaide Motorsport Festival this weekend
The Formula 1 star drove a Holden Commodore around the former Formula 1 circuit in South Australia and the current V8 Supercars circuit
The 33-year-old also drove an Alfa Romeo GTV, which was previously driven by 1980 Formula 1 champion Alan Jones and three-time Bathurst 1000 winner Colin Bond.
Bottas is not the first Formula 1 driver to get behind the wheel of a V8 Supercar.
Last year, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and Red Bull star Sergio Perez got in a few laps with their V8 racers before the Australian Grand Prix, while Daniel Ricciardo tested a Ford Mustang V8 Supercar in Michigan last month.
The Alfa Romeo driver has developed into a cult hero in Australia after spending most of his summer in Australia with his girlfriend, Tiffany Cromwell.
And to fit in with his new surroundings, Bottas took a trip to the hairdressers to sport a flawless Australian mullet.
In a video he shared on social media in December, Bottas explained to Cromwell how he felt out of place in the country.
When asked by Cromwell how he plans to change that, the nine-time Grand Prix winner answered cryptically: “You’ll see.”
Bottas delighted the crowd by performing a front donut directly in front of the fans
Bottas developed into something of a cult hero in Australia after spending most of her summers in Australia with her friend, Tiffany Cromwell
In December, Finn revealed his brand new mullet while drinking a bottle of VB in an effort to better ‘fit in’ in his new surroundings in Australia.
The 33-year-old won the 2019 Australian Grand Prix with Mercedes and took the points in each of his last four starts in Melbourne.
The video then cuts to Bottas walking into a hairdresser and doing a rather drastic haircut, with the former Mercedes driver walking out on him with a mullet.
In true Australian fashion, he spins around in his chair and Bottas wears a Victoria Peter beer jacket and drinks a bottle of VB.
Bottas had a mixed start to the season, finishing eighth in the opening race in Bahrain followed by a disappointing showing in Saudi Arabia, where he finished 18th.
The Finn is hoping for better luck in Melbourne, as he has finished in the points in his last four matches.