As an F1 veteran who has seen it all, Valtteri Bottas says no longer takes himself too seriously, but admits that he wouldn't have dared enter the paddock wearing a tank top and flip flops just a few years ago.
Bottas appeared in Melbourne last time out as your typical unsophisticated Aussie, sporting his now familiar mullet hairstyle, a relaxed summer attire and a friendly attitude to boot.
Likely encouraged by his better half, Aussie pro-cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, Bottas has very much made Australia his adopted home country and has made it a point of blending in seamlessly with the locals.
But the Finn acknowledged that his status as an established member of the driver community allows him to get away with a bit of tongue-in-cheek and nonchalant humor, something he would not have dared to do during his early years in F1.
"As a rookie I would have not come to the paddock with a tank top and flipflops, not even a few years back," he admitted.
"Now it's a bit easier. I don't take myself too seriously. Definitely times have changed but it is [part of] the sport when you're a rookie you've gone through the system and you're almost educated how to behave and so on.
"But then it seems there comes a point in time when you say: 'Deal with it'."
But not all F1 drivers are equal when it comes to letting their hair down in public contends Bottas. The Alfa Romeo charger believes that most young drivers are reluctant to indulge in banter or wisecrack and pull off their masks due to F1's polished and disciplined business-like façade.
"It is tricky getting to Formula 1," explained the ten-time Grand Prix winner. "Sometimes it's difficult to see the real personalities on track.
"Obviously, once you get to know the drivers better outside the track then you can really see their personality. But the way you do the interviews, the way you behave with sponsors, it's usually pretty standard.
"Over the last 10 years there were some personalities like Daniel Ricciardo who really came up showing his personality.
"I think it's good to see but it is how it is because it's serious business and there's big companies and big money involved."
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