“Adopted Aussie” Valtteri Bottas set to race in front of 'home' crowd at Race Of Champions 2025 at Accor Stadium, Sydney March 7th-8th
After being one of the consistent drivers in Formula 1 over the last decade, Finnish driver Vatteri Bottas will compete against no less than Sebastian Vettel, Sébastien Loeb, Jamie Whincup, Molly Taylor, Travis Pastrana, Mick Schumacher, Johan Kristoffersson and Haydon Paddon
Accor Stadium to be turned into a spectacular 1 kilometer asphalt race track when this unique event is hosted for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere
More superstars from Formula 1, Supercars, Le Mans, NASCAR, World Rally & Rally X to be announced in coming weeks
Tickets from $49 on sale now through Ticketek
Formula 1 figure and “adopted Aussie” Valtteri Bottas has been confirmed for the 2025 Race Of Champions to be held at Accor Stadium in Sydney from March 7-8.
Bottas will contest his last two F1 races for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber in Qatar and Abu Dhabi over the next two weekends, before pushing the “pause” button on his F1 career which has included no less than 10 wins, 67 podiums and 20 pole positions.
Bottas has been in a relationship with Australian road and gravel cyclist Tiffany Cromwell since 2020 which has seen him spend a lot of time in her home state of South Australia.
This relationship has sparked a myriad of promotional and social media activities, one famous piece showing Bottas getting a “Mullet” haircut and drinking Victoria Bitter (VB) beer.
Earlier this year he produced an hilarious promotional video with Uber Rideshare where he was driving a famous Australian-inspired Holden Ute. It came with its own outdoor shower, pie warmer, thongs storage, Hills Hoist clothesline and sheepskin steering wheel cover:
In March, he attended the Adelaide Motorsport Festival where he was officially announced as an "honorary Australian” by F1 commentator David Croft.
In Sydney, Bottas will be going head-to-head with no less than four-time Formula 1 World Champion, Sebastian Vettel; nine-time FIA World Rally Champion, Sébastien Loeb; seven-time Supercars Champion, Jamie Whincup; 11-time X-Games Gold medalist, Travis Pastrana; seven-time FIA World Rallycross Champion, Johan Kristoffersson; Australian rally ace and Extreme E champion Molly Taylor, two-time European Rally Champion and Kiwi, Hayden Paddon; and former FIA F2 champion and F1 driver, Mick Schumacher.
Bottas began as a test driver at Williams AT&T in 2010 for two years and stepped up to reserve driver the following season. In 2013 he made his F1 debut with Williams and finished 17th in the championship.
In the next three seasons with Williams and then five with Mercedes-AMG he finished no worse than eighth in the championship.
His best results being runner-up to Mercedes-AMG teammate Lewis Hamilton in 2019 and 2020, and third in 2017 and 2021 before his move to Alfa Romeo (later, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber) at the start of 2022.
His 2019 season started impressively with a win at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, he also finished on the Melbourne podium in 2017.
This will be Bottas’ second appearance in Race Of Champions, having contested the 2023 event on ice in Sweden with two-time F1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen.
The Race Of Champions will run over two nights with a purpose built 1km asphalt race track, including a 43m crossover bridge, taking centre stage at Accor Stadium, Sydney’s Olympic Stadium.
The ROC Nations Cup takes place on Friday the 7th, with drivers paired in teams based on nationality to bid for the title of ‘World’s Fastest Nation’.
The Saturday night will see the individual Race Of Champions, when all teamwork goes out of the window and it will be a battle for individual glory and the ‘Champion of Champions’ title.
Pictured: Valterri Bottas in action at Race Of Champions in Sweden in 2023.
What Valtteri Bottas said:
“My relationship with Australia is no secret and I am looking forward to competing in the first ever Race Of Champions Down Under,” said Bottas.
“Hopefully I will also have plenty of ‘local’ fans cheering for me after being granted ‘honorary Australian’ status earlier this year, even if I will of course try to beat Australia in the ROC Nations Cup and all the Aussies in the individual Race Of Champions.
“I am looking forward to spending some time in Australia across the ‘local’ summer months and should be well acclimatised by the time we get to March.
“The Race Of Champions is a unique event and I have a little bit of unfinished business after teaming up with Mika [Hakkinen] on the ice in ROC Sweden last year.”
What Fredrik Johnsson, Race Of Champions President and Co-Founder, said:
“Valtteri [Bottas] is one of the great characters of our sport and is a perfect inclusion for our first ever Race Of Champions in Australia,” said Johnsson.
“Just like last year at ROC Sweden, he will bring lots of fun as well as some seriously-fast, competitive driving.
“We were all disappointed when Valtteri was recently left without an F1 drive next year, but we are very happy that his Australian fans will still be able to see him in action at ROC Sydney the weekend before the F1 season starts in Melbourne.
“The field for the inaugural Sydney Race Of Champions is shaping up to be one of our most competitive ever and we still have plenty of big names to come.”
The event comes two weeks after the 2025 Supercars opener at Sydney Motorsport Park (Feb 21-23) and one week before the opening round of the F1 World Championship in Melbourne (March 13-16), creating a massive month of motorsport in Australia.
Hospitality and Track side packages and General Admission Tickets starting from $49.00 for children and $69.00 for adults. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketek.
ABOUT RACE OF CHAMPIONS
The ROC Nations Cup takes place on Friday March 7, with drivers paired in teams based on nationality to bid for the title of ‘World’s Fastest Nation’.
Saturday night March 8 will see the individual Race Of Champions, when all teamwork goes out of the window and it will be a battle for individual glory and the ‘Champion of Champions’ title.
Next year’s Race Of Champions comes two weeks after the 2025 Supercars opener at Sydney Motorsport Park (Feb 21-23) and one week before the opening round of the F1 World Championship in Melbourne (March 13-16).
ROC is renowned for gathering some of the best drivers in the world, including superstars from Formula 1, Le Mans, INDYCAR, NASCAR, Supercars, World Rally and Rallycross.
Past participants have included Vettel, Schumacher, Loeb, Coulthard, Grönholm and Jenson Button. Other international stars have included Nascar champions Jimmie Johnson, Kurt and Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon, Indy 500 winners Ryan Hunter-Reay, Juan-Pablo Montoya, Helio Castroneves and Josef Newgarden, Formula E Champion Lucas Di Grassi and Extreme sports star Travis Pastrana.
Hospitality and Track side packages and General Admission Tickets starting from $49.00 for children and $69.00 for adults. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketek.
Friday 7th March - ROC Nations Cup – to Crown the ‘World's Fastest Nation’
Accor Stadium, Sydney
Doors Open 5:30pm
Show Starts 6:30pm*
Race Starts 7:30pm
Saturday 8th March – Race Of Champions – to crown the ‘Champion Of Champions’
Accor Stadium, Sydney
Doors Open 5:30pm
Show Starts 6:30pm*
Race Starts 7.30pm
