Valtteri Bottas spills the beans on how much he paid for the F1 team dinner - “About 20,000 local money”

Although seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton hosted the end-of-season dinner for all F1 drivers on the 2024 grid, it was Valtteri Bottas who picked up the cheque for the dinner. The Kick Sauber driver opened up about how much he paid for the special dinner on social media.

It has been a tradition among F1 drivers to host a special dinner at the end of the season as a way to celebrate a successful season. This year was no exception, with Hamilton organizing and hosting all drivers. Apart from the Aston Martin duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, every racer graced the event ahead of the final race of the season.

While Hamilton was the one who paid the bill last season, his former Mercedes-AMG teammate Bottas picked up the cheque this time. With the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix being the Finnish racer's final F1 outing (Bottas is currently without a contract for the 2025 season), he likely chose to pay the bill as a gesture of goodwill.

In a candid interaction, Bottas opened up about the amount he paid for the F1 drivers' dinner. A video of the conversation was shared on F1's official Instagram page, with the Kick Sauber driver as a collaborator.

"VB, We heard rumors that you paid for the drivers' meal last night. Can you confirm?" a media personnel questioned.

"I can confirm. It was my pleasure," Bottas replied.

When further questioned about the amount, the #77 driver added:

"I think it was about 20,000 local money, whatever that is in euros"

Here's a look at the aforementioned post, captioned:

"You’re a good man, Valtteri Bottas 💚"

As for the 2024 season, Bottas is next-to-last in the driver's championship with no points scored the entire year.

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"I’m going to give it everything I have for the team and for the sport" - Valtteri Bottas on his 'most difficult' season in Formula 1 ahead of the season finale

The 2024 Formula 1 season was the first year with no points scored for Valtteri Bottas since his debut. The Finnish driver reflected on his year during a recent media interaction ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

"It’s been a long, challenging season. It’s my feeling at this point that I’m happy to get over with this season that has been the most difficult in my career," Bottas said (via Formula1.com).

"There’s always a new year and new opportunities. We’ll see what’s next. One more chance and I’m going to give it everything I have for the team and for the sport," he added.

Although 2024 was similarly rough for his Kick Sauber teammate Zhou Guanyu, the Chinese youngster managed to grab four points during the penultimate race in Qatar on December 1st.