Finnish broadcaster not spooked by Bottas exit

Dec.5 (GMM) Even with no Finnish drivers on the grid, Finnish fans of Formula 1 will still enjoy specialised television coverage of the sport.

With Valtteri Bottas dropped by Audi-Sauber, 2025 will be the first full season without Finnish representation since 1977 – almost 50 years ago.

It’s a remarkable feat for a country with such a small population, with the Finnish greats including Keke Rosberg, Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen.

So with zero Finnish drivers on the grid next year, do the country’s F1 fans need to worry that Viaplay’s specialised Finnish coverage of the sport will also disappear?

The answer is no, according to Viaplay Finland’s head of sport Jussi Ranta.

“F1 is experiencing an international renaissance, and the coming season will be exceptional in its starting points,” he told Ilta Sanomat newspaper.

“Lewis Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari alone was one of the sport’s biggest contract news stories ever, which raises the appeal of the upcoming season to a whole new level,” Ranta added.

He said exciting new rookies, the end of the current regulations cycle, and popular recent innovations like sprint racing will also keep Formula 1 as a popular sport on Finnish TV.

“In other words, the trend that was prevalent from the middle to the end of this season is only getting stronger,” said Ranta. “As unfortunate as Bottas not being there is, it does not have a negative effect on the sport’s popularity. Remember, Bottas’ performance level at Sauber was already very modest.”

Nonetheless, he admitted he hopes early rumours that Cadillac might be interested in Bottas for 2026 might be true.

“We welcome all interesting speculation, but at the same time we have to remember that there are plenty of rumours in this sport,” said Ranta. “But of course we would very much like to see Bottas return in the colours of Cadillac or another team.”