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Valtteri Bottas has pulled out of the Race of Champions (RoC) at the last minute, with fellow countrywoman Emma Kimilainen replacing the Alfa Romeo F1 driver. Bottas was set to represent Finland in RoC’s exhibition event alongside former F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen.
The former Mercedes driver, however, reportedly “had other commitments” and therefore could not take part in the RoC. This was despite Bottas taking part in and enjoying the practice sessions prior to the event.
His replacement Kimilainen, a front runner in the W Series Championship, will compete in the RoC alongside the former world champion.
Speaking in an interview with RN365 prior to the event, Mika Hakkinen said:
“Valtteri [Bottas] had commitments and a last-minute cancellation. I’m happy to have Emma, it’s going to be brilliant. I’ve been following her development in W Series and her career, and we had a really good chat yesterday after her driving, so we have a good team!”
Meanwhile, Kimilainen was ecstatic for the opportunity to compete alongside her “childhood hero”. Speaking to RN365, she said:
“Mika [Hakkinen] is my childhood hero. His kids are turning eight today and I was remembering when I was their age, watching every Sunday when there was F1, watching the racing. I could always remember Mika overtaking a couple of times around the outside, so watching him racing and now being here, it’s an honor.”
Kimilainen finished the 2021 season W Series as the third-best driver on the grid, with a victory and several podiums to her name. Meanwhile, Hakkinen bested the great Michael Schumacher at Ferrari to clinch two consecutive F1 world championships in 1998 and 1999. Hence, despite Bottas’s absence, team Finland is still in great hands.
F1’s long history with the Race of Champions
Originally organized as a competition between the best of rally drivers in 1988, the Race of Champions has since come to include other categories of motorsport. The event is usually organized during the end/start of a year, with champions from various categories of motorsport being invited to participate in.
Since early 2000s, F1 drivers have been regular participants in the RoC, with Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel being some of the more popular ones. The 2004 RoC was especially notable for the “World Champions Challenge” between Schumacher and Rally legend Sebastian Loeb. Schumacher narrowly won that challenge.
Meanwhile, the Vettel-Schumacher duo have been one of the most successful partnerships in RoC’s history, with the pair sweeping up six consecutive nations cups between 2007 and 2012.
Since Schumacher’s accident in 2013, Vettel has continued to participate in the event, but has failed to add more victories to his tally. The Aston Martin driver, however, is set to compete with Mick Schumacher for the first time in the upcoming edition. Representing Germany, the duo are hoping to recreate the team’s success from the late noughties.
