Valtteri Bottas has insisted that Formula 1 drivers have "no problem" paying taxes in countries where they race, clarifying his earlier comments at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Speaking on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s race at Sepang, Bottas claimed that he and other F1 drivers would prefer not to end the 2026 season at Imola due to fears they will have to pay extra tax. F1 is currently scheduled to conclude its season with a double-header in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, but the war in the Middle East could lead to the races being cancelled, with Imola preparing to step in as part of a contingency plan.
Bottas' remarks came in response to reports that F1 drivers have been sent letters by Italy’s financial police, the Guardia di Finanza, requesting they submit tax returns on income earned in the country. "I don't know if you've heard about the Italian taxes? No driver wants to really race in Italy because of recent events, what happened," the Cadillac driver told reporters on Thursday at Sepang. "Abu Dhabi, there's no tax. Right? I think everyone would like to race somewhere warmer. For now, what I've heard, we're still going to Qatar and Abu Dhabi."
After facing some criticism for his comments, Bottas moved to issue a clarification regarding his stance on the matter. "It's one of those classic examples, where I explained about the situation and they only took just the best bits, to make it look really bad for me," Bottas told Sky Sports F1 after Friday practice at Sepang. "Honestly, we have no problem with paying taxes - as long as we know. We race in many countries and in more than 50 percent of the countries we go to, there's a certain percentage. And that's okay, as long as we know. But it's kind of frustrating the drivers that, in this case, they went back seven or eight years."
He added: "We always got told we don't have to file anything for Italy, otherwise we would have. So that kind of came up with this thing, and obviously it's a substantial amount. I'm sure it would annoy anyone, that's just how it goes, but it would have been nice to know in advance."
Max Verstappen had a typically direct response, with the four-time world champion stating: "There is no tax issue. You just have to pay tax." Meanwhile, Haas driver Ollie Bearman joked that "the tax complication is a bit less relevant to me than some of the others."
The tax issue adds another layer of complexity to the season finale, with Imola potentially hosting the final race. For Bottas, clarity and transparency are key to avoiding similar frustrations in the future.
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