Credits: IMAGO Motorsport Images

Drivers like Daniel Ricciardo redefined the word charisma within the F1 paddock. Ricciardo adds a different character, and his funny persona has made him one of the most loved figures in the sport. Joining him on this list is Valtteri Bottas, who is also well-known for his jovial personality.

While this earned Ricciardo and Bottas millions of fans from all over the world, a former team boss labeled the two of them as ‘clowns’.

These harsh words come from Frans Verschuur, a former LMP2 boss. He believes that a racing driver’s focus should only be on the results. And if they can’t be fast, they should move on to make way for younger and more credible talent.

Planet F1 quoted Verschuur as saying,

“What he [Bottas] is doing does not belong in Formula 1, and he drives like a newspaper. Do you know how many talents there are? He can work in the circus with [Daniel] Ricciardo, two clowns together. First drive fast, then humor.”

Verschuur’s point of view comes from the lens of a motorsport purist. However, this is the exact philosophy that Bottas wants to put an end to. The Finn believes that younger drivers find to difficult to express their personalities at an age where PR training has become extremely important.

Valtteri Bottas’ lesson to the younger generation in F1

Speaking about the way young drivers are trained and treated today, Bottas explained his won struggles with expressing his true personality. However, now, he feels that the tides are changing as he becomes a pole bearer for a more colorful F1 paddock.

As per Autosport, Bottas said,

“As a rookie I would have not come to the paddock with a tank top and flip flops, not even a few years back. Now it’s a bit easier. I don’t take myself too seriously. Definitely times have changed but it is [part of] the sport when you’re a rookie you’ve gone through the system and you’re almost educated how to behave and so on.”

From the sporting side of things, Bottas’ future in the sport has come into question with Sauber signing Nico Hulkenberg for 2025 and beyond. However, the former Mercedes driver is sure that he will land a seat for next year at least.