Valtteri Bottas has returned to Mercedes for the F1 2025 season as a reserve driver, after it was announced he would be leaving Sauber.

Bottas initially left Mercedes for the Hinwil-based team after a successful five-season stint in 2021, and now heads back to the Silver Arrows as their third driver for 2025 after it was announced he and Zhou Guanyu would not be retained next season.

Valtteri Bottas rejoins Mercedes as reserve driver for F1 2025 season

Bottas won all 10 of his career Grands Prix to date as a Mercedes driver, and partnered Lewis Hamilton to five consecutive Constructors’ Championships as the Silver Arrows enjoyed a period of dominance in the sport.

He headed to Alfa Romeo in 2022 on a three-year deal with the aim of bringing the team further forward on the grid, but with a full takeover from Audi on the horizon and the team having signed Nico Hulkenberg earlier this season, they opted for youth in the other seat and signed Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto for 2025 onwards.

After a not-so-cryptic social media post from Mercedes of Bottas in the team’s race suit from his stint with the Silver Arrows, followed by an image showing the outline of his iconic mullet and moustache, the Finn has headed back to Brackley to become their third driver for next season, backing up George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.

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Bottas said: ““I’m happy to finally answer the question I’ve posed over the past month.

“Returning home to the Mercedes family as third driver for 2025 is what’s next and I couldn’t be more pleased.

“I want to thank Toto, the team at Brackley, and everyone at the three-pointed star for welcoming me back with open arms.

“Despite the challenges of the past few years, I know that I’ve still got so much more to contribute to F1.

“Since I was a five-year-old kid growing up in Nastola, Finland, my focus has been on achieving success in the top tier of motorsport. I’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed many incredible moments in my 12 years of racing in F1 so far.

“As I return to the place where so many of those moments were achieved, I’m looking forward to using all the knowledge I’ve gained to help the team to perform and progress towards our goal of fighting for world championships.”

Team principal Toto Wolff added: “Welcome home, Valtteri! It’s great to have you back.

“His impact and contribution in the five years he was with us previously as our race driver was immense. Along with scoring multiple Grands Prix wins, he played a vital role in five of our championship victories. His technical feedback and input were important in helping us to those successes and pushing the team forward.

“Not only that, but he was also a fantastic colleague and team member. His dry sense of humour and personable nature made him a firm favourite with everyone at Brackley and Brixworth.

“In his role as reserve driver, all those qualities will be incredibly important in helping us compete for world championships and supporting both George and Kimi on track.”

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