No Bottass 2.0? Toto tells Valtteri 'keep your clothes on' in '25

After leaving Mercedes at the end of 2021, Bottas really spread his wings. Since freeing himself from the woke constraints of corporate PR, the Finn has grown a moustache and mullet, started making hilarious social posts, and even created a nude calendar.

When several photos of Bottas’ behind went viral on social media in 2023, he capitalized by turning it into a raunchy calendar, which raised a reported $150,000 for charity.

Ahead of Bottas’ first season back at Mercedes, Team Principal Wolff has ruled out a 2025 calendar follow-up but said he doesn’t mind if the 35-year-old retains his new style.

Wolff explained: "We are Mercedes, so maybe the nude calendar is not on anymore. So, we've said that, but we need to keep him authentic. And if he wants to keep the ugly mullet, then he should.”

Throughout his first stint at Mercedes, Bottas often struggled to keep up with his illustrious teammate Lewis Hamilton. Each season, he seemed to return rejuvenated and ready to take the fight to Hamilton, but he was ultimately unable to seriously challenge the Brit for an F1 title.

His first major revamp in 2019 even saw him nicknamed ‘Valtteri 2.0,’ leading many to question when we’d see ‘Valtteri 3.0’ — a joke Mercedes played along with ahead of his 2020 campaign.

When replaced by George Russell for the 2022 F1 season, Bottas had to settle for a seat towards the back of the pack in the struggling Alfa Romeo, now STAKE F1 Team Sauber. But rather than shrinking his profile, the move away from Mercedes’ corporate PR machine has given him room to establish himself as one of the funniest personalities on the grid.

Since first showing his behind on Netflix’s Drive to Survive, Bottas has made himself the butt of several more jokes by uploading further snaps of himself swimming naked in a lake. His new social media stardom has even prompted the Finn to hire a ‘body double’ to carry out his daily chores, in an ongoing skit that continues to amuse F1 fans everywhere.

Though Wolff has committed to giving Bottas room to breathe on his return, he’ll no doubt be expected to dial things back now he’s driving for the Silver Arrows again.

First on the ten-time Grand Prix winner’s to-do list will be to maximize the potential of Mercedes’ 2025 car, but he’ll also be charged with mentoring new driver Kimi Antonelli.

Wolff added: "Part of the role of Valtteri will be to have a look at Kimi. [He'll] be there to coach, be there to have an eye on what's happening on the track. And Kimi is going to learn from Valtteri and from George."

With Mercedes having dropped down the order since Bottas left, Wolff, along with the rest of the Brackley outfit, will be hoping he can play a part in their resurgence. During Mercedes’ 2017 to 2021 F1 constructors’ title-winning seasons, the Finn became a highly popular team member. Now back in the fold, he’ll be keen to show that he’s more than just a friendly face.

Ahead of the new season, former driver Juan Pablo Montoya has even suggested that Antonelli will need to perform straight away, or Bottas could enter the frame as a potential replacement.

Montoya said: “Kimi Antonelli is in the spotlight in one of the best teams out there with a teammate who is doing a mega job.

“And you’re being sold as the next Max Verstappen. If he doesn’t deliver, that’s tough. My reading is that with Bottas, Mercedes would be covering their ass.

“He’s a safety net to have somebody in case it doesn’t work with Antonelli, and he knows that," the former F1 drive added.