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ANALYSIS: Why Bottas' return to Mercedes makes perfect sense for both sides
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Mercedes and Valtteri Bottas are reuniting with news the Finn has signed up to be the Silver Arrows’ reserve driver in 2025. F1 Correspondent Lawrence Barretto explains why the union makes perfect sense for both parties...
Why Bottas wanted Mercedes reserve role
Bottas is not done with Formula 1. Far from it.
The 35-year-old Finn may have endured his first pointless season in the sport (in what was his 12th campaign) but that was more down to the machinery he had at his disposal rather than him losing any of the speed that has yielded 10 Grand Prix wins, 67 podiums and 20 pole positions.
READ MORE: Bottas to re-join Mercedes as reserve driver in 2025
That’s why the Finn was “pretty happy to get it done with”, referring to his three seasons with the Swiss team, and focus on the future.
The Sauber marriage was one that offered so much – but ultimately failed to deliver for both sides as the goalposts moved several times. “Initially everything was great, I signed up for three years with Fred [Vasseur],” he told me when we chatted in Abu Dhabi.
Bottas has re-joined Mercedes after his stint at Kick Sauber came to an end
“We had clear targets for each year, we planned how to get there but when Fred went to Ferrari – and I don’t blame him as that’s what you do when you get an offer – that plan and those targets went to pieces.
“With the new leadership, quite a lot of rotation in the team in terms of key people and another new leadership this year has really shaken things up quite a lot. That’s why I think performance has gone down. For me, it comes down to not having a car that you can show your skill – and it’s put me and Zhou [Guanyu, his team mate] into this situation.”
Bottas came so close to putting his name on the 2025 roster. Sources say he would have got the Williams seat if Carlos Sainz had gone elsewhere.
END OF YEAR REPORT: Kick Sauber – A 'draining' season with the team in ‘survival mode’
Alpine were very interested in him until their management changed. And then Bottas was back in the running to stay at Sauber and help the Audi project when Mattia Binotto took over – only to ultimately miss out to F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto.
“I feel like I got into an unlucky situation,” he said. “I probably should have committed before to another team 100% but it was difficult. I couldn’t because I always thought I would be there for the Audi project – that was what I got told.
“When they changed their mind, things happened. I’m just unlucky. Saying that, I’m not done yet with the sport. This is not the way for me to leave. You’ll see me around.”
Sauber opted to sign F2 champion Bortoleto with both Bottas and team mate Zhou left without a seat for 2025
See him around we will, with Bottas set to travel extensively to races with Mercedes next season. It’s all too easy to get forgotten once you leave the paddock, so Bottas' presence will help keep him in the conversation for the racing return he craves in 2026.
He’ll also be returning to a team that love him – and with whom he had an incredible relationship. That warm, welcoming atmosphere will do wonders for his mindset and confidence after the rejection of this season – while also allowing him to feel useful by using his extensive experience (he’s started 246 Grands Prix) to help get the team back to the sharp end – having fallen back to P4.
“I just want to feel the success again, I want to feel the rewards of hard work,” he said. “We worked hard for three years but there haven’t been that many rewards.
“I feel like I’m driving as well as ever, I’m as fit as ever – which is why I’m not done yet. In terms of fitness, I’m at my peak. I don’t feel any degradation in the car in any sense. So, with the right atmosphere and the right machinery, I still believe I can do great things.”
Bottas is convinced he has something to offer a team in a racing capacity going forward – and with two extra seats potentially available in 2026 with Cadillac/GM having recently reached an agreement in principle to become the 11th F1 team from next year, the Finn is optimistic we’ll see him back behind the wheel in anger.
“I think there will be opportunities,” he said. “Next year, who knows what happens, but realistically looking at 2026, which needs to be my target, things are still wide open and we have an 11th team joining the sport, which is really exciting.”
Bottas believes he still has much to offer as a racer in Formula 1
Bottas has wasted little time in testing the waters with Cadillac/GM and has already spoken to their new Team Principal Graeme Lowdon – who has been a constant presence at Sauber over the last three years through his management of Zhou.
“I’ve known Graeme for a long time,” he said. “I will imagine they will need some experience, they have a lot of work to do. It’s one opportunity for me.”
He added: “At this stage of my career, I can still give so much to the sport. Building from scratch would be really interesting. The motivation is if you get things right and work together, if you get to your targets, it’ll be rewarding.”
Linking up with Mercedes, then, is the perfect move for Bottas in the interim.
He’ll return to a place which will receive him with open arms, has a winning mentality and will help sharpen his skills (which is likely to include Pirelli tyre testing in current machinery and runs in two-year-old Mercedes’) to help him pitch for a racing return in 2026.
Bottas has great memories at Mercedes, helping them to win five constructors' championships
Why Mercedes wanted Bottas to return
Even before Bottas heard from Sauber/Audi that they would not be renewing his deal but instead back youth in the form Bortoleto, the Finn had already spoken to old boss Toto Wolff about a potential return to Mercedes in a reserve capacity.
Mercedes were only too happy to have the conversation. When the Finn departed for the Alfa Romeo/Sauber project, with George Russell stepping up from Williams, Wolff said at the time that Bottas “would absolutely have deserved to stay with the team”.
INSIGHT: Behind the scenes at Gabriel Bortoleto’s first F1 test with Kick Sauber
Bottas spent five years with the Silver Arrows from 2017 – and contributed to them winning the constructors’ championship in each of those five seasons.
He had a great relationship with everyone in the team and thus is expected to slide back into the family seamlessly.
Mercedes know what he is capable of and believe his experience can help them on their journey to returning to the sharp end and becoming title contenders once again.
Bottas can help mentor debutant Kimi Antonelli, with the 18-year-old considered to be one of the sport's most exciting young talents
He’ll likely spend time in the simulator, be part of the engineering meetings and, of course, be available to stand-in for one of the race drivers if required.
And talking of race drivers, Bottas’ experience can be used to help new recruit Kimi Antonelli settle into his new surroundings alongside George Russell.
The 18-year-old Mercedes junior is considered by the Silver Arrows to be one of the sport’s most exciting young talents.
The team have worked hard to ease him into his new role, giving him a couple of FP1 sessions last year as well as an extensive test programme with a two-year-old car.
Bottas can act as a mentor – as he successfully did with former team mate Zhou – and help Antonelli navigate driving for one of F1’s top team’s on debut, in a car that has been a bit of diva since the new regulations were introduced in 2022.
It’s a win-win situation.
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