Axed F1 star shares astonishing post-season update

An image of Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas — Photo: © IMAGO

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Axed F1 star shares astonishing post-season update

A number of stars from the 2024 F1 grid will not return full-time next season

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 4 January 2025 16:57

A recently axed star of Formula 1 has issued a stunning update on their post-season activities via social media.

The 2024 season concluded at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last month where, for many drivers on the grid, it marked their final race as they knew it ahead of a major change for next season.

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'Silly season', as the F1 driver transfer window is often referred to, started before the on-track action had even begun in 2024 after seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton announced his move to Ferrari after 12 years with Mercedes in a shock switch.

This triggered a domino effect of driver contract decisions, with many stars on the 2024 grid no longer retaining a full-time seat for next season as a result.

Additionally, there are five new 'rookie drivers' joining the pinnacle of motorsport in 2025 including F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto, who signed with Sauber/ Stake F1 team following the announcement that they would be dropping both drivers from their current lineup; Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu.

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Stake F1 drivers Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas were both dropped from the team last season

Bottas soaks up the sun in F1 break

Following the news that Sauber had opted for a brand new duo of Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg ahead of their transition into Audi, both Bottas and Zhou were left unlikely to find a full-time seat on the grid.

Instead, Bottas returned home to his former team Mercedes as their reserve driver, meaning he will still have plenty of time for his array of hobbies outside of F1 next year whilst still keeping his F1 skills ticking over.

In his latest post-season update, the Finnish driver revealed he had been spending the F1 winter break in South Australia, basking in the sunlight with his partner Tiffany Cromwell.

The 35-year-old adopted his alternative Aussie persona, taking to social media platform 'X' to show off astonishing beach snaps, captioned: "Louth island life 🏝️"