Valtteri Bottas has suggested that if he was still at Mercedes, he would not have been allowed to sport his new look for F1 2023.
The Finn showed up at the launch of Alfa Romeo’s new car and pre-season testing sporting a new mullet and moustache, a look he acquired in Australia during the winter break.
He even went as far as to run a hilarious one-off helmet design for testing that matched his haircut. Bottas explained that “company policies” at Mercedes would have stopped him from pulling off such a look when he was teammates with Lewis Hamilton between 2017 and 2021.
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However, at Alfa Romeo, Bottas feels he has the freedom to express himself. “Now I feel like I can truly be who I am, for sure there’s a bit of a difference,” Bottas said.
“I think company policies might be a bit different in different workplaces let’s say. Some things might be a bit more restricted, but I think it’s time and getting older as well, all the skills and learning F1 has given me, you eventually just learn sometimes not to take things too seriously, especially yourself. I imagine I would not have been allowed [to grow the mullet at Mercedes], so that’s one example.”
When asked what the highlight of his off-season was, Bottas replied: “Getting the mullet. A big highlight of my life, probably. For now, it’s staying. It feels very much part of me.”
