Valtteri Bottas has been re-signed by Mercedes to be its reserve driver for the 2025 Method 1 season, after he missed out on holding his seat at Sauber.
The Finnish racer scored 10 grand prix wins for the Silver Arrows squad in a 100-race stint between 2017 and 2021 when he was partnered with Lewis Hamilton.
He was dropped from the group forward of 2022 as group boss Toto Wolff opted to advertise long-time Mercedes junior George Russell from Williams.
Russell will lead Mercedes in 2025 alongside one other of the group’s junior drivers, Andrea Kimi Antonelli – with Hamilton heading to Ferrari rather than Carlos Sainz.
Talking because the information of his Mercedes deal broke – key to which was how he maintained good relations with Wolff even after leaving – Bottas mentioned: “I’m comfortable to lastly reply the query I’ve posed over the previous month.
“Returning house to the Mercedes household as third driver for 2025 is what’s subsequent and I couldn’t be extra happy.
“I wish to thank Toto, the group at Brackley, and everybody on the three-pointed star for welcoming me again with open arms.
Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12
Picture by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Pictures
“Regardless of the challenges of the previous few years, I do know that I’ve nonetheless received a lot extra to contribute to F1.
“Since I used to be a five-year-old child rising up in Nastola, Finland, my focus has been on attaining success within the prime tier of motorsport.
“I’ve been lucky to have loved many unimaginable moments in my 12 years of racing in F1 up to now.
“As I return to the place the place so lots of these moments have been achieved, I’m wanting ahead to utilizing all of the data I’ve gained to assist the group to carry out and progress in the direction of our objective of combating for world championships.”
After being dropped by Mercedes, Bottas joined Sauber for a three-year stint, with the group referred to as Alfa Romeo for the primary two of these seasons.
Issues started promisingly when he was an everyday factors scorer and with Audi deciding to purchase into the organisation in 2022 forward of a 2026 rebranding, however Bottas got here to view heading to Sauber as a “mistake”.
He missed out on staying with the group in 2025 when it first signed Nico Hulkenberg from Haas after which, after major goal Sainz determined to hitch Williams as a substitute as a consequence of Sauber’s main downturn in outcomes this yr, it selected 2024 Method 2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto to finish its line-up.
Valtteri Bottas, Stake F1 Staff KICK Sauber C44, is retired to the storage
Picture by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Pictures
“Every thing began properly off within the first yr, however since then, it was downhill,” he mentioned on the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi.
“However we simply cannot predict the longer term. That is how it’s. Simply wish to ensure that the following transfer I make goes to be a very good one. Hopefully, there’s higher instances to return.”
Bottas additionally mentioned that former Sauber group boss Fred Vasseur leaving to run Ferrari on the finish of his first yr with the Swiss group was, he feels, “an enormous half” in why issues had not labored out.
“There was a transparent plan for targets for the three years and likewise tips on how to get there [with Vasseur at the helm],” Bottas added.
“However these plans and targets went into the bin when he left.”
Former Mercedes reserve driver and ex-F1 racer Mick Schumacher will depart the group as 2024 ends.
On this article
Alex Kalinauckas
Method 1
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
Be the primary to know and subscribe for real-time information e-mail updates on these matters
Subscribe to news alerts
