Scott McLaughlin drops his honest verdict on $20M F1 star Valtteri Bottas’ Mercedes qualifying record

Scott McLaughlin has shared his honest thoughts on Valtteri Bottas after his qualifying record with the Mercedes-AMG F1 team surfaced. The Finnish driver was part of the German constructor from 2017 to 2021.

While Bottas largely played second fiddle to seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, the 35-year-old boasts an incredible qualifying record with the team.

In the aftermath of rookie Kimi Antonelli failing to secure a place in Q3 for the season-opening F1 Australian Grand Prix, media outlet AutoSport shared a post highlighting that Bottas remains the sole driver with a 100% Q3 record for the German racing team.

This incredible statistic, achieved by the former Williams Racing driver, has since garnered widespread reactions. However, one that notably stood out was from Scott McLaughlin. The IndyCar star reacted to the statistic on X (formerly Twitter), commenting:

“That’s actually insanely impressive @ValtteriBottas 👏🏻”

The Finnish driver, who is reported to be worth $20 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, ended his stint at Mercedes AMG following the conclusion of the 2021 season. He achieved 10 race victories and 20 pole positions in his 101 Grand Prix entered donning the colors of the Brackley based outfit through the later years of the turbo hybrid era.

Bottas was eventually dropped in favor of British driver George Russell after Mercedes opted not to renew his contract, largely due to reasons concerning the team's future outlook ahead of the commencement of the 2022 F1 season,

Scott McLaughlin opposes McLaren’s Australian Grand Prix strategy

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri celebrate after the F1 Grand Prix Of Australia - Source: Getty

Scott McLaughlin took to social media to criticize McLaren for their team order strategy at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. The Woking-based F1 team instructed Oscar Piastri to hold position and not attempt to overtake teammate Lando Norris during the race.

McLaren’s decision was widely criticized, particularly since it was the opening race of the season and, more notably, Piastri’s home Grand Prix.

Reacting to the team order issued by the Papaya team, McLaughlin shared his thoughts on social media:

“Great for Lando, but feel for OP. Home race getting told to hold pozzy, bit rich, first race of the year. I would’ve unplugged the radio, sorry @benbretzman 😂😂,”the 31-year-old wrote.

The seven-time IndyCar race winner will now shift his focus to returning to winning ways in the IndyCar series. The New Zealand-born driver had started the 2025 campaign on a strong note by securing pole position at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix. However, a strategy misstep prevented him from converting pole into victory, with Chip Ganassi’s Alex Palou ultimately taking the win and leaving McLaughlin outside the podium places.

With the Thermal Club Grand Prix of California on the horizon on the 2025 IndyCar calendar, Scott McLaughlin will be hoping to seal victory for his Penske team.

1