"What is the Finnish word for excited": When Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel left Valtteri Bottas stumped

Former F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel along with Lewis Hamilton previously left Valtteri Bottas stumped after the former asked him if there was a word in his native language for excited. During the German driver's tenure in Ferrari from 2015 to 2020, there were many instances where the trio finished on the podium together.

After joining Mercedes in 2017, the Finnish driver was a consistent point scorer and challenged Vettel and Hamilton during the races. He proved his might and speed in his second race, taking his maiden pole position in Bahrain ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.

However, despite having all the answers for the two world champions in qualifying, the Finn was left stumped in the press conference when Vettel asked:

"Does the world exciting exist in Finnish?"

To which the Brit contributed and gave a hilarious reply before genuinely asking:

"It's probably something really simple like 'Hoye'. What is the Finnish word for excited?"

When Bottas was unable to answer, the German said:

"See, it doesn't exist."

Hamilton concluded the conversation and replied:

"It's not one that's really used much in the vocabulary." (2:44)

In the main race, Sebastian Vettel had the last laugh as he fended off the challenge from Lewis Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas slipped back and defended the final podium finish from his compatriot, Kimi Raikkonen.

Valtteri Bottas comments on Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari

Mercedes Reserve Driver Valtteri Bottas stated that he believed that Lewis Hamilton would be very motivated ahead of starting his first year with Ferrari in the 2025 season.

Speaking with Sky Sports F1, the 10-time F1 race winner reflected:

"He is very motivated for this year. It's something new and refreshing for him, which can sometimes be a good stimulus, but it will also be interesting to see how he fares alongside Charles Leclerc."

He also believed that the switch would be a great spectacle for the fans to watch two of the biggest names in F1 being associated with each other, adding:

"It will be great to watch, I can already say that. The gaps at the front are quite small, even between four or five teams, so it will be really difficult to make predictions, which is a good thing.

"I think it's great for the fans and for the sport. The first races will set the tone, but as we saw last year with the small margins if a team makes a step forward, it can change everything. Naturally, I hope Mercedes can be in the fight for the championship, as that's the goal for everyone."

Lewis Hamilton has a multi-year deal with the Italian team that will see him race for them until the end of the 2026 season with an option to extend for a further year.