Valtteri Bottas has confirmed he is in talks with his former boss Toto Wolff to return to Mercedes F1 in 2025, as the Austrian clearly revealed in Las Vegas (read here).
The 34-year-old Finn is not retained by Audi-owned Sauber, which had the last vacant seat on next season's grid – with the possible exception of Sergio Perez's racing seat at Red Bull.
“I feel like everyone at Red Bull doesn't like me for one reason or another,” smiled Bottas after the Las Vegas GP.
“So that’s hardly an option.”
Bottas has already admitted that a full-time reserve role is now probably his best option for 2025 – opening the possibility of a return to the grid for 2026.
When asked if he might be interested in the new Cadillac team due to enter the grid in 2026, Bottas admitted: “Yes, it could be.”.
Wolff said Mercedes would be “lucky” if Bottas wanted to return to the team next year, with contracts already being exchanged between lawyers.
"We discussed," admits Bottas, who won 10 Grands Prix as Lewis Hamilton's teammate between 2017 and 2021. “We talked for a while, but of course this weekend we focused a lot on the race.”
“But nice words from him and I'm sure we'll get back in touch soon. Of course I want to look at all my cards, but when you look at this (the Mercedes option) there are a lot of positive things. Back in the Mercedes family – it's being part of a great team.”
“And it's a big brand that can create a lot of opportunities for the future. So, yes, it's an option and I'm grateful that there are people who are willing to accept me for this role .”
Perhaps the opportunity would be for Kimi Antonelli to disappoint and be replaced during the season?
"I don't wish anything bad on Kimi," Bottas simply replies.
It would obviously be a big challenge for a driver who has almost 250 Grands Prix under his belt, including 10 victories and 67 podiums, to have to attend all 24 Grands Prix next season as a substitute.
"That's the problem," recognizes Bottas. “If the backup isn’t there at every race and something happens and you’re not there, you don’t have that chance.”
“You have to think about these kinds of things and you also have to talk about it with them and with the team. I'm still trying to think about what's next.”
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