Valtteri Bottas has opened up on his experience behind the wheel of a McLaren after testing for the Woking squad in late March.

Bottas steered a 2023-spec McLaren in an outing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as part of his role as reserve driver with Mercedes.

Valtteri Bottas F1 test a McLaren insurance policy

Without a race contract for this year, Bottas has taken on reserve driver duties at Mercedes where he plays a role in coaching prodigy Kimi Antonelli.

As a factory team, Mercedes supplies a number of rivals with power units, including McLaren, Williams, and Aston Martin.

In addition to that relationship, both McLaren and Williams have additional deals which allow them access to Bottas as reserve driver should his services be required.

That saw the 35-year-old in action for the papaya operation as part of a Testing Previous Cars (TPC) outing in Spain in the days following the Chinese Grand Prix.

At the wheel of a McLaren MCL60 as raced by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in period, the outing was designed to help Bottas become familiar with the team should he be called into action.

“Definitely felt the difference,” Bottas told Tom Clarkson on the Beyond the Grid podcast.

“I knew that car was going to be always good in highspeed corners, but the stability it had through, for example, the last two corners in Barcelona, was just next level.

“Really enjoyed driving that car, and also with a great team.”

Bottas stands ready for McLaren which was left without a race-ready reserve driver after junior driver Gabriel Bortoleto was released to join Sauber for F1 2025.

While it also boasts Pato O’Ward on its books, and has experience at the wheel of an F1 car through a number of Free Practice 1 and test outings with McLaren, the Mexican has a busy IndyCar programme that runs through until the end of August.

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The MCL60 was the car which catapulted McLaren back into contention at the front of the field.

While not a race winner, it transformed the team’s fortunes from midfield runners at the start of 2023 into genuine podium contenders in the back half of the season.

A development package that arrived for that year’s Austrian Grand Prix proved the catalyst for that dramatic improvement, with the car laying the groundwork for those that have followed – including last year’s Constructors’ Championship winning MCL38.

Bottas’ time at the wheel of the MCL60 was his first taste of F1 machinery since the Australian Grand Prix, where he drove a 1999 BAR as part of a demonstration during the event, and prior to that the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix where he started his final race for Sauber.

Since his McLaren outing, he’s steered a Mercedes W16 at Paul Ricard, the car he raced alongside Lewis Hamilton throughout the 2020 season.

“The ride is way nicer,” Bottas said of the pre-ground effect era machine.

“The cars, they do have bit more vertical movement. The cars are vertically a bit softer, the kerbing is bit better, and the car was lighter, a bit smaller.

“I definitely prefer that era of Formula 1,” he added. “That’s why I kind of like the direction Formula 1 is going for next year, again with little bit lighter car, little bit smaller car.

“I think it should be more enjoyable for all the drivers next year.”

Bottas is looking for a return to the F1 grid next season after losing his race drive with Sauber at the end of F1 2025, with the Finn linked with the all-new Cadillac entry.

In the interim, he remains working in support of Antonelli and George Russell at Mercedes, a move designed to keep himself active and involved as the sport evolves towards its next generation of cars.

“I’m sitting here now without the race seat, not because of my own choice,” Bottas admitted.

“I definitely still feel, and that emotion was quite quick after a new I wouldn’t get a seat for this year, that I’m not done yet with Formula 1. I still have more to give. It’s still number one thing in my life.

“That sensation, now that I’ve been watching a site, has got stronger and stronger and stronger, and now I like really start to miss racing.”

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