Valtteri Bottas walks in the paddock prior to practice ahead of the 2024 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
F1 pundit Lawrence Barretto has claimed that Valtteri Bottas was already in talks with Cadillac/GM for an F1 return in 2026. This claim was made after Bottas joined Mercedes as a reserve driver for 2025.
In November 2024, Bottas announced that he would not be driving with the Stake F1 team from next year. The Swiss-based F1 team itself announced the Finn's departure from the team and that he was getting replaced by McLaren junior driver, Gabriel Bortoleto. Following this announcement there were many questions about where Bottas would go after Sauber.
After the 2024 F1 season ended, Mercedes announced that it hired Bottas as its reserve driver. While he will be assisting George Russell and Kimi Antonelli throughout the 2025 F1 season, rumors are already flying that Bottas could be looking to return to the grid with a future F1 team.
