P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has revealed that he has told Valtteri Bottas to crack down on his more extravagant endeavours upon his return to the F1 team.
After the 2021 season, George Russell replaced the Finn at Mercedes, while he moved to the Sauber-owned team, running under the Alfa Romeo moniker. Bottas has reunited with Mercedes in a reserve driver role after losing his seat with the Hinwil-based squad, aiming to come back to the grid next season. During his break from Mercedes, Bottas embraced his ‘honorary Australian’ tag by sporting a moustache and mullet, and sharing adventures with his partner Tiffany Cromwell on Instagram (with 4.7 million followers). Despite releasing a charity nude calendar and displaying his bare backside on Netflix, Bottas will be expected to take a break from such endeavors, per Toto Wolff’s statement. Bottas will mentor newcomer Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the 2025 season, as part of his role in assisting the Italian rookie and supporting the team if needed, in his 101-race history with Mercedes. Wolff is accepting of some of Bottas’s personal expressions but prefers to maintain a more restrained image for the team, contrasting with Sauber’s approach to the nude calendars. Bottas may continue some trends, like his Movember moustache helmet sticker, despite potential restrictions on other off-track activities, per Wolff’s considerations for the team’s image.
