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 offered private sponsorship through the Finn’s stints at Williams and Mercedes.
Wihuri ended its affiliation with Bottas, 35, after 2018.
“We stopped supporting Bottas when his private earnings exceeded a million euros,” he defined to Urheilulehti newspaper. “We thought it didn’t make sense for us to help a man whose earnings was at that stage.”
Aarnio-Wihuri, nonetheless, says he doesn’t recognize the truth that after the funding was minimize off, Bottas severed all communication each professionally and personally.
“It’s not a troublesome factor for me,” he stated. “However I do surprise 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 approach, 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 motive 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 principally 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 group fairly nicely,” he stated, “and Bottas was principally the second driver. However the group nonetheless gave him lots of free rein.
“You possibly can 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 best way it was.”
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