Valtteri Bottas has been confirmed as Mercedes’ reserve driver for the 2025 season, marking his return to the team.
The Finn will remain in F1 in some capacity after losing his seat at Sauber at the end of this season. Bottas spent three years with the Swiss outfit after leaving Mercedes in 2021.
The 35-year-old and Sauber teammate Zhou Guanyu struggled to perform in underdeveloped machinery, with 2024 being a miserable year for the team. Languishing at the back all season, it took Zhou’s trojan effort in Qatar to score Sauber’s first and only points, grabbing four by finishing eighth.
With the Swiss team set to become Audi in 2026, the German manufacturer are putting everything in place for when they join the sport, and Bottas and Zhou were unable to convince them to keep them on board.
The duo left the team after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to make way for new arrivals Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. Bottas and Zhou have since been looking at reserve driver roles to stay in the paddock, with Zhou recently having talks break down with Red Bull.
Valtteri Bottas says he is ‘coming home’ after returning to Mercedes as their reserve driver
But after having discussions with Mercedes, Bottas has confirmed he will return to the Silver Arrows in 2025. He will be the reserve driver for George Russell and new signing, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and will offer vast experience to the team, as well as a familiar face.
Bottas joined Mercedes in 2017 as the replacement for Nico Rosberg and enjoyed five successful seasons with the team as Lewis Hamilton’s number two.
The Finn won his 10 Grand Prix with the Silver Arrows and played a key role in Mercedes’ dominance in the late 2010s, helping them secure five consecutive constructors’ titles and finishing runner-up to Hamilton in the drivers’ standings in 2019 and 2020.
| Season | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | FL | Podiums | Points | Pos. |
| 2017 | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 20 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 305 | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 247 | 5th | |
| 2019 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 326 | 2nd | |
| 2020 | Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team | 17 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 223 | 2nd |
| 2021 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 226 | 3rd |
After an underwhelming three years at Sauber, the 35-year-old has been able to keep himself in F1 as he returns to the Brackley-based outfit, and he is more than delighted with the news.
Posting on Mercedes’ Instagram post announcing Bottas as their 2025 reserve driver, the Finn had just three words to say to describe his emotions, as he wrote: “I’m coming home.”
Valtteri Bottas has already had talks with Cadillac for 2026
Bottas is a safe option for Mercedes in 2025 with his experience and being a known quantity. Kimi Antonelli’s private test crashes, as well as his accident in his FP1 debut at Monza, suggests that the Italian is still fresh and the team could turn to the Finn if the 18-year-old is not ready to make the step to F1.
Naturally, Bottas claims he has unfinished business in F1 and will be looking at 2026 for a possible return to a full-time seat.
READ MORE: Valtteri Bottas’ life outside F1 from girlfriend to wine and gin
Russell is out of contract at Mercedes in 2025, but it would have to be said that it is unlikely that the 35-year-old will be called upon to replace him full-time.
Bottas has already had talks with Cadillac over a potential seat when they arrive in F1 in 2026. The American outfit want an experienced driver to go alongside an American talent – and the Finn fits the former category perfectly.
Having achieved multiple race wins and podiums in his career, it would be hard for a newcomer to turn down a driver of Bottas’ quality as they hope to prove F1 they can be competitive from the off.
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