Valtteri Bottas 2025 F1 Seat Confirmed

Valtteri Bottas reunites with Mercedes as their reserve driver for the 2025 F1 season.

Nov 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Stake F1 Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas (77) arrives for the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Valtteri Bottas's return to Mercedes for the 2025 Formula 1 season has been confirmed. He will serve as a reserve driver for the team, reigniting his relationship with Mercedes after previously racing with them from 2017 to 2021.

During his initial five-year tenure with Mercedes, Bottas was instrumental in the team's ongoing success, contributing to multiple constructors’ championships and playing a vital role alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Bottas's career has seen him go through various highs and lows, marked by his transition to Sauber in 2022. His journey with Sauber saw fluctuations in performance, with a 10th-place finish in 2022. However, the 2024 season closed without a points finish for the Finnish driver. Consequently, Sauber chose to bring in Nico Hulkenberg and a promising rookie, Gabriel Bortoleto, for the upcoming season, leaving Bottas without a primary race seat.

Commenting on his return to Mercedes, Bottas explained:

“I’m happy to finally answer the question I’ve posed over the past month. Returning home to the Mercedes family as Third Driver for 2025 is what’s next and I couldn’t be more pleased. I want to thank Toto, the team at Brackley, and everyone at the three-pointed star for welcoming me back with open arms.

“Despite the challenges of the past few years, I know that I’ve still got so much more to contribute to F1. Since I was a five-year-old kid growing up in Nastola, Finland, my focus has been on achieving success in the top tier of motorsport. I’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed many incredible moments in my 12 years of racing in F1 so far.

“As I return to the place where so many of those moments were achieved, I’m looking forward to using all the knowledge I’ve gained to help the team to perform and progress towards our goal of fighting for world championships.”

His return to Mercedes is not just significant in the context of rekindling past partnerships but also in terms of the expertise and experience he brings to the table. Bottas's role as reserve driver will involve active participation at most Grand Prix events, where his duties will include providing technical feedback and assisting in team development. With a young driver lineup consisting of George Russell and the new addition Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Bottas’s seasoned insight is expected to be of immense value.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff also stated on the signing:

"Valtteri's impact and contribution in the five years he was us previously as our race driver was immense.

"Along with scoring multiple Grands Prix wins, he played a vital role in five of our championship victories.

"His technical feedback and input were important in helping us to those success and pushing the team forward.

"Not only that, but he was also a fantastic colleague and team member. His dry sense of humour and personable nature made him a firm favourite with everyone at Brackley and Brixworth.

"In his role as Reserve Driver, all those qualities will be incredibly important in helping us compete for world championships and supporting both George and Kimi on track.

"Welcome home, Valtteri! It's great to have you back."