Valtteri Bottas reveals experience as sniper in Finnish military

In an interview with Red Flags Podcast, former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas revealed his experience of mandatory military service in Finland about 15 years ago — he was trained as a sniper.

Speaking with former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner, Bottas explained that he only served six months of mandatory service due to his racing commitments. “In those six months of Finnish winter, I became a sniper who operates behind or between enemy lines,” he said.

“I was a good shot, that’s why they made me kind of a sniper,” Bottas explained.

In Finland, military service is mandatory for men over 18 years old. Bottas served at the Finnish Defence Forces Sports School in Lahti and achieved the rank of lance corporal.

“Looking back, it was a fun experience. But certainly sometimes it wasn’t so fun — like when tired and sleeping in freezing forest for two weeks,” he recalled.

After military service, Bottas made his Formula 1 debut with Williams in 2013 before joining Mercedes replacing Nico Rosberg in 2017.