Valtteri Bottas will return to Mercedes for the 2025 Formula 1 season after leaving Sauber at the end of last year.
The Finn spent five years with the Silver Arrows from 2017 to 2021, acting as the team’s number two to Lewis Hamilton. He had aspirations to win the championship with Mercedes, but the seven-time champion outclassed Bottas.
Bottas was ‘hurt’ by his 2020 Eifel GP retirement, which cost him the championship that year and he ultimately never recovered from the damaging blow. The 35-year-old left Mercedes in 2022 to join Sauber – then Alfa Romeo.
Linking up with Zhou Guanyu, Bottas spent three seasons with the Swiss team where he struggled with underperforming machinery. He scored 59 points in that time – all of which came in 2022 and 2023.
The 2024 season was a dismal year for Sauber as Bottas and Zhou languished at the back of the field. The former failed to score any points, while Zhou’s impressive drive in Qatar yielded four points – the team’s only points finish of the season.
Sauber did not retain either driver for 2025 as they brought in Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto in anticipation of Audi’s arrival to F1 next year.
Valtteri Bottas says it will be ‘weird’ not being on the grid in 2025 with Mercedes
While Zhou is yet to confirm his next move, Bottas has returned ‘home’ to Mercedes as their reserve driver for the 2025 season.
The Finn will provide great experience and guidance for full-time drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli. He would also be a safe option to call upon if either driver falls ill during the season, or if the young Italian fails to deliver results.
But the lack of regular competition will take some getting used to by Bottas’ admission. Speaking with Kym Illman on his YouTube channel, the 35-year-old says it will be ‘weird’ not being on the grid on a Sunday.
“The biggest difference will be, I would say when the lights go off on Sunday.
“I’m not in there, I’m outside watching and that’s going to be weird and for sure will take some time to get used to, but I’ll try and keep busy.
“There’s more to it. Quite a bit of simulator work, which is getting each year more and more important, because that is still not limited in terms of days or kilometres.
“There will be some tyre testing. There’s Pirelli testing, especially for 2026 as the regulations will change. And of course, they’re going to use me with sponsors at different events and stuff like that.”
Valtteri Bottas is eyeing a return to full-time racing in 2026
The most significant reason for Bottas’ return to Mercedes as their reserve driver is to keep him sharp and prepare him for a possible comeback to full-time racing in 2026.
Bottas has already had talks with Cadillac over a potential seat with the team. F1’s 11th team could be the Finn’s most likely destination, but there may be other options available to him come next season.
READ MORE: Valtteri Bottas’ life outside F1 from girlfriend to wine and gin
Bottas thinks Mercedes-engined teams may offer a drive in 2026, saying that the unpredictable nature of the driver market may present an opportunity to him.
Mercedes and McLaren are most likely closed off next season. Alpine will become a Mercedes customer team in 2026, but they already have a huge pool of drivers with Franco Colapinto, Ryo Hirakawa and Paul Aron behind full-time drivers Jack Doohan and Pierre Gasly.
Williams could have a seat available for Bottas if Albon or Sainz underperforms. Sainz is free to leave after 2026 if he is unsatisfied with what he is seeing at the Grove-based team.
