Valtteri Bottas is currently assessing his chances on how he can get back onto the F1 grid for the 2026 season.
The Finn was out of a drive at the end of 2024 when Sauber elected not to renew his contract through to 2026, instead securing the services of German driver Nico Hulkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto.
Hulkenberg was seen as the perfect fit ahead of their transition to Audi, while Bortoleto is seen as one of the leading talents having won the 2024 F2 title.
The results for Bottas towards the end of his Sauber tenure were mediocre, leading to him finding refuge at his former Mercedes team as a test driver for 2025. This extended to being a test and reserve driver for Mercedes customer teams, having recently tested for McLaren.
Bottas is hopeful of finding a drive on the grid for 2026, but there could be one big obstacle in his way, according to journalist Andrew Benson, when speaking on the BBC Chequered Flag podcast.
Valtteri Bottas does not have the same amount of money as other 2026 F1 candidates
Bottas has held talks with various teams on the grid including Alpine, who will be switching to Mercedes power units from 2026. But the Finn could face another issue that might impact his ability to get any seat.
“Bottas’s problem is that he doesn’t have money. He has money of his own, but doesn’t want to spend it on buying himself a drive. And some of the rivals for that drive do have a lot of sponsorship money that they can bring with them,” said Benson.
“Sergio Perez seems to be the leading candidate; he’s got a bunch of Mexican money behind him and Cadillac is an American brand, and Mexico is in North America, which ticks a lot of boxes. Ironically, although Perez’s reputation suffered a lot when he was at Red Bull, the struggles from Lawson and Tsunoda have done his reputation some good.
“Waiting in the wings is Zhou Guanyu, who also has a pot load of cash and is managed by Graeme Lowdon, who is the team principal of Cadillac, which isn’t going to harm his candidacy.”
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Valtteri Bottas has one major selling point for F1 teams
Bottas has been a major influence on Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s season so far, having worked alongside the 18-year-old Italian in helping him get to grips with F1.
His first pole in the Miami Grand Prix Sprint and podium at the Canadian GP show significant progress, and behind the scenes, Bottas has been helping him with setup work and in the simulator.
Neither Perez nor Zhou has that attribute since leaving F1, and if Bottas is in the running for the seat at Cadillac, he could be a significant asset if they bring in a young US driver.
Bottas is also a proven race winner and finished consistently in the points when he was a teammate to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, having contributed to winning their Constructors’ Championship in 2021.
