Valtteri Bottas will return to his old team Mercedes in 2025 as their third driver, having left Sauber following a spate of disappointing results.
The Finn wanted to stay onboard at Sauber until they transitioned to Audi in 2026, however, the team has now made sweeping changes to its driver lineup following three years of unsuccessful results.
Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg will both replace Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, making Sauber the second team to change their entire lineup along with Haas.
Bortoleto has been hailed as one of Brazil’s stars, having shown ‘phenomenal talent’ during his karting days. Hulkenberg will provide a healthy balance of experience for the team, as they attempt to improve their fortunes in 2025.
Bottas has said that he would be open to a return given several teams use Mercedes engines as a customer, including Alpine from 2026, but has now said he would only do it on one condition when speaking in an interview with Motorsport Week.
Valtteri Bottas says he would not do a one-year deal for an F1 return
Drivers can sometimes get put on a one-year deal to enable teams to evaluate their performance, which is what happened with Sergio Perez at Red Bull. The team eventually broke their 2025 agreement early after he underperformed throughout 2024.
Bottas wants any team to consider a future with him, rather than arbitrarily come up with a contract that might not run beyond 12 months.
“There needs to be a meaning. Like a random one-year deal somewhere at this stage of my career is not doing me much,” said Bottas.
“There would need to be a clear plan. And if there wouldn’t be, let’s say for ‘26, then definitely I would need to look elsewhere. Or I can do still a good career [in another series].”
Valtteri Bottas to help Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Bottas immediate future looks set to be first pick for Mercedes should they need a reserve driver, while also providing his experience to 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
The Finn knows what it takes to win a race having taken 10 victories across his 12 seasons, all of which came with Mercedes.
READ MORE: Valtteri Bottas’ life outside F1 from girlfriend to wine and gin
Antonelli might be seen as the talent for the future at Mercedes, but they could always use Bottas a Plan-B if he is dramatically off the pace compared to George Russell.
Bottas’ next hope to rejoin the grid is likely as early as 2026 and the role with Mercedes should keep him in the paddock to speak to people about a deal.
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