Jan.24 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas’ former monetary backer has hit out on the Finnish driver’s behaviour.
Finnish billionaire Antti Aarnio-Wihuri, the 84-year-old head of the Wihuri Group conglomerate, backed not solely Bottas’ junior profession, but in addition supplied private sponsorship in the course of the Finn’s stints at Williams and Mercedes.
Wihuri ended its affiliation with Bottas, 35, after 2018.
“We stopped supporting Bottas when his private revenue exceeded a million euros,” he defined to Urheilulehti newspaper. “We thought it didn’t make sense for us to assist a man whose revenue was at that degree.”
Aarnio-Wihuri, nevertheless, says he doesn’t admire the truth that after the funding was reduce off, Bottas severed all communication each professionally and personally.
“It’s not a troublesome factor for me,” he stated. “However I do marvel about an individual whose whole profession trusted us after which he simply stops all contact.
“We even organized for him to hitch Mercedes. He would by no means have gotten there with out us.”
When requested why he thinks Bottas behaved in that method, he answered: “I can’t say. In all probability due to his character.
“He hasn’t stated a phrase to me since then. We’ve seen one another right here and there on the planet, however not a phrase.”
Aarnio-Wihuri added that Bottas’ behaviour was very totally different when the funding was flowing. The driving force, at the moment holidaying in Australia, couldn’t be reached for remark, however his consultant Ville Ahtiainen stated there are all the time two sides to a narrative.
As for Aarnio-Wihuri, he suspects that regardless of Bottas returning to Mercedes this 12 months as reserve driver, his Formulation 1 profession is now mainly over.
“My understanding is that his profession is over, or virtually so,” he stated. “And he’s attending to that age, too.”
Bottas misplaced his Sauber race seat on the finish of the 2024 season, and Aarnio-Wihuri stated the Finn was quantity 2 to Lewis Hamilton all through his days at Mercedes.
“I do know the Mercedes staff fairly properly,” he stated, “and Bottas was mainly the second driver. However the staff nonetheless gave him a variety of free rein.
“You could possibly say that he was given the chance to succeed. However he was the second driver, which within the outcomes was additionally fairly clear. We even mentioned it with (Toto) Wolff. That’s why I dare to say now the way in which it was.”
