Valtteri Bottas on ‘what’s next’: mindset, resilience, and life beyond F1
Valtteri Bottas has revealed that he nearly signed with Williams for the 2025 F1 season.
Taking ownership of the question ‘what’s next?’ rather than letting the confusing words define his life as he moved from a Formula 1 race seat to a test driver role, 14 months on from getting the tattoo, Valtteri Bottas says that simple but profound question means so much to him.
It is his mindset, it’s his defining line in the difference between a comeback and continuing, it is the words that find themselves between looking back and looking ahead, it is, simply put, his sisu.
What’s next for Valtteri Bottas? It is his ‘sisu’
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Two years ago, as his Formula 1 career stalled when Sauber opted not to put sign off on an agreed deal with the Finnish racer, Bottas was asked again and again “what’s next?”
It was the mantra of every press conference or public interaction the 10-time grand prix winner had.
So much so, he had the words ‘what’s next?’ tattooed on his thigh.
As time went by, a return to Mercedes as a reserve driver where he was a mentor to teenage Italian sensation Kimi Antonelli was what was next.
He followed that by expanding his Oath Gin with partner Tiffany Cromwell, purchasing a farm oasis called the ‘The Vineyard Retreat’ in McLaren Vale, a few trips to Bunnings, some road cycling, some gravel cycling and a much-anticipated decision to spearhead Cadillac’s debut season in Formula 1 along with fellow F1 race winner.
As the Cadillac preparations turned faster and faster, with visits to the factory, meetings and seat fittings, Bottas finally tested the new car at Barcelona last week as he shared the driving duties with Perez over the course of the the days.
It, though, was by no means the culmination of “what next’s”, it was just the beginning.
“For me ‘What’s next?’ has become something deeper than a question,” he wrote on social media.
“It’s a mindset. It means believing in the opportunities in the future, rather than worrying about the past.
“So when people ask me about comeback…
“I don’t think of it as returning.
“I think of it as continuing.
“I’m not looking back.
“I’m looking ahead.
“With peace.
“With SISU.
“With joy.
“With one simple question:
“What’s next?”
🟢Valtteri Bottas on his tattoo and what’s next
“What is next? – That’s the question…I think I don’t have any tattoos before.I was like, I think that’s a good one. Actually, in this phase of my life now, something is about to finish and there’s something new… pic.twitter.com/DHlDnlv7LZ
— Audi F1 News (@AudiF1Updates) November 22, 2024
Sisu is a Finnish term that embodies determination, courage, and resilience.
It is the ability to persevere even if the face of adversity, to confront challenges with tenacity, and to keep going even when the going gets tough.
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