Valtteri Bottas has got back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car as part of a testing session with McLaren.

The test is taking place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – home of the Spanish Grand Prix – as Bottas returns to the cockpit for the first time since losing his place on the F1 grid after the 2024 campaign.

Valtteri Bottas McLaren status clarified amid Barcelona test

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Bottas had been racing with Sauber [formerly Alfa Romeo] since 2022, joining the team following his exit from Mercedes, but with Bottas and Zhou Guanyu dropped by the team after F1 2024 in favour of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, Bottas returned to the Mercedes fold as their reserve driver, taking over from Mick Schumacher.

And Bottas has been back on track with McLaren in Barcelona as part of a TPC [testing of previous car] outing, driving their MCL60 from the 2023 season.

PlanetF1.com understands that Bottas is taking part in the test to familiarise himself with the McLaren team, should they need to call upon him in the event of Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri being unable to compete, McLaren having access to the Mercedes driver pool as part of an agreement with the team, which supplies their power units.

The test sparked media speculation that Bottas would take on the role of McLaren reserve driver, but PlanetF1.com understands this to be wide of the mark, and he remains Mercedes’ reserve driver, not McLaren’s.

McLaren currently has an official reserve driver in place in the form of Pato O’Ward, who represents the team in IndyCar and is also signed to the McLaren driver development programme.

O’Ward has appeared in three FP1 sessions for McLaren, one per year over the last three seasons.

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Bottas has been with Mercedes at the two rounds of F1 2025 to have taken place so far – the Australian and Chinese GPs – and has confirmed his intention to be present for all 24 stops on the calendar.

“As the third driver, I’ll be at every race, involved with everything to do with performance on and off track,” he wrote in an open letter on Mercedes’ website.

“Whether its set-up or driving, I’ll be trying to use my experience to contribute to this great team.

“I’ll be getting stuck into data, looking at George and Kimi’s onboards, providing that extra pair of eyes. Hopefully, I can keep driving and do some testing too.

“At the factory, I’ll be in the simulator lots, doing development work for the W16. I’ve been getting up to speed with everything so far, learning about the new car and the plans for it this season.

“I spent Valentine’s Day doing a seat fit. It was love at second sight! Turns out, my old seat from 2021 still fits just fine.

“There will be some marketing and partner days too, and TikToks of course – I think we’ll have some fun moments on social media this year, so keep your eyes peeled!”

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