As has become a recent Formula 1 tradition, a secret Santa amongst the drivers took place, with Max Verstappen having been chosen to purchase a gift for Valtteri Bottas.
The three-time World Champion clearly put a lot of thought into the present, as he purchased the Sauber driver a hilarious book called ‘Museum Bums: A Cheeky Look at Butts in Art’.
Given that Bottas released his very own calendar consisting of 12 images of his rear, it was the perfect gift for him.
Bottas’ limited edition calendar was created to raise money for prostate cancer research, something it did to great success after raising $150,000.
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It’s clear where Verstappen got the inspiration from for Bottas’ present, with F1 having released footage of Bottas’ pleasant reaction.
“Interesting,” Bottas said, “’A simply lovely look at butts in art’.
“So it’s a book about art… and butts. It says ‘Have a cracking Christmas’. So there’s existing art for those, but then me put on top of them. It’s really creative actually.”
Remarkably, Bottas guessed correctly first time who’d gifted him the book and thanked the Red Bull driver for being “really creative”.
“Who could it be? Max? Alright! Well done, Max. It’s really creative so thank you very much. Merry Christmas,” said Bottas.
Verstappen’s comical side has certainly been seen more often in 2023, as the 26-year-old has been clearly more relaxed off the circuit.
Considering he obliterated the competition at almost every round, it’s easy to see why he was able to let his hair down.
Given how serious the Dutchman typically is when in the cockpit, it’s a welcomed change to see him being so funny.
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There has been signs this year that Verstappen has matured, something which has been identifiable both on and off the circuit.
2023 will forever be remembered for his dominance, in what is the most successful campaign by a driver in the history of F1.
He broke the record for most wins, most consecutive wins, most points scored, most laps led and percentage of wins in a campaign, whilst he also moved into third on the all-time F1 winners list.