F1 star banned from releasing naked calendar as team chief hits out at X-rated pictures

Valtteri Bottas is backmost astatine Mercedes and Toto Wolff has made it wide that the Finn's bare calendars request to halt contempt the reserve operator raising funds for foundation successful the past

Mercedes prima Valtteri Bottas has been banned from releasing photos of him bare successful a calendar.

The Finn has rejoined the Silver Arrows arsenic a reserve operator having driven alongside Lewis Hamilton for years earlier his archetypal exit. However the German broadside aren't excessively blessed astir him stripping down and person jumped successful to intervene.

Bottas is nary alien to instrumentality his apparel off, showing disconnected his bum successful the Netflix documentary Drive to Survive and helium has posted snaps of himself swimming bare successful a river. He besides released a nude calendar past twelvemonth - titling it "Botass 2024". All the funds that were raised were donated to Prostate Cancer Research and helium reportedly handed £121,000 implicit for the cause.

But Mercedes present privation him to support his apparel connected with the team's brag Toto Wolff suggesting a nude calendar is not successful keeping with the team's environment.

He told R365: "We are Mercedes, truthful possibly the nude calendar is not connected anymore. So we person said that, but we request to support him authentic." Wolff added with a smile: "If helium wants to support the disfigured mullet, past helium should."

Bottas has spent the past 3 seasons with Alfa Romeo and Sauber, finishing past play without a point. Hamilton's departure means that George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli are connected the grid for Mercedes.

The Finn volition capable successful arsenic the team's reserve operator having won each of his races whilst with the Silver Arrows. Bottas has taken the chequered emblem connected 10 occasions.

He said connected his return: “Despite the challenges of the past fewer years, I cognize that I’ve inactive got truthful overmuch much to lend to F1. Since I was a five-year-old kid increasing up successful Nastola, Finland, my absorption has been connected achieving occurrence successful the apical tier of motorsport. I’ve been fortunate to person enjoyed galore unthinkable moments successful my 12 years of racing successful F1 truthful far.

“As I instrumentality to the spot wherever truthful galore of those moments were achieved, I’m looking guardant to utilizing each the cognition I’ve gained to assistance the squad to execute and advancement towards our extremity of warring for world championships.”