Motorsport stars will hit the track next March in Sydney, Australia. Over the years, the Race of Champions has featured numerous top drivers from both rally and circuit racing, and next year will be no exception.
The latest addition to the Sydney event is Sauber F1 driver Bottas, who will be competing in the event for the second time. He previously participated in the 2023 edition, held on snow and ice in Sweden.
In Australia, Bottas will have the chance to challenge nine-time rally world champion Sebastien Loeb. Other participants include four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel, his compatriot Mick Schumacher, reigning World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson, and Hayden Paddon, who has won the last two European Rally Championship titles.
The Sydney race is almost a home event for Bottas, as he has been in a relationship with Australian cyclist Tiffany Cromwell for several years and has spent a lot of time in Australia.
“Hopefully I will also have plenty of ‘local’ fans cheering for me after being granted ‘honorary Australian’ status earlier this year, even if I will of course try to beat Australia in the ROC Nations Cup and all the Aussies in the individual Race Of Champions,” Bottas remarked.
“The Race Of Champions is a unique event and I had a lot of fun in my first participation in Sweden last year, despite getting knocked out early with Mika (Häkkinen). Hopefully I’ll be much faster on the tarmac track inside Sydney’s Olympic stadium and be able to go all the way this time.”
The Race of Champions pits drivers against one another in head-to-head battles using identical cars. In Sydney, the competition will take place on a specially built asphalt track at the Olympic Stadium, where drivers will face off to determine the fastest of them all.
