F1 driver announces SHOCK release ahead of Qatar Grand Prix

An image of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 driver announces SHOCK release ahead of Qatar Grand Prix

The news dropped via his social media channels

Kevin McKenna

Thursday 28 November 2024 22:57

A Formula 1 star has announced a surprise release ahead of this weekend's Qatar Grand Prix.

F1 heads to Qatar for the penultimate race of the season for sprint and grand prix action from Friday to Sunday, where drivers and teams across the grid will battle it out to secure vital points.

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The constructors' title remains up for grabs, for example, with both McLaren and Ferrari looking to take a huge step towards the championship at the Lusail International Circuit, while teams further back in the field are scrapping for points in a bid to finish as high up as possible.

Red Bull star Max Verstappen will arrive in Qatar as the 2024 drivers' champion, having secured his fourth consecutive title in Las Vegas last time out, and he will be desperate to head into next season with some momentum.

Valtteri Bottas may be approaching his final appearance in F1

The Finn won 10 grands prix whilst driving alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

Bottas drops cheeky release

Unfortunately for some of his competitors, such as Kevin Magnussen, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas, this could be their final appearance at the track. The trio will be replaced on the grid in 2025, with speculation lingering over their long-term future in the sport.

For Bottas in particular, his chances of making a return to F1 full-time appear slim. The Finn has been in the top tier of motorsport since 2013, winning 10 races during that period, all of which were achieved at Mercedes where he teamed up with Lewis Hamilton. But his F1 career looks set to end in disappointment following three largely frustrating years at the Sauber outfit.

The 35-year-old has kept quiet on his F1 prospects, but has no intention of retiring from racing altogether, having already been confirmed to star alongside Mick Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel at next year's Race of Champions in Australia.

However, before he prepares to bow out of F1 - for now at least - he has issued a special festive-themed release for his fans to purchase.

Taking to his Instagram page, Bottas announced that Christmas cards featuring some very cheeky images - taken from his 2023 Movember calendar - are now up for sale, with some of the proceeds going towards charities focused on helping families during the festive season.

The collection has been aptly named the 'ChristmASS card'.

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A post shared by Valtteri Bottas (@valtteribottas)

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