This is the class Bottas wants to race in if F1 is no longer an option
Interview
Valtteri Bottas is sidelined as Mercedes' reserve driver in 2025, but revealed in an exclusive interview with GPblog that he still has the passion required to race in Formula 1. Should that fail though, the Finn will start looking at other racing series.
After three seasons at Sauber, Valtteri Bottas has returned to the old nest at Mercedes. It is no secret that Bottas would have liked a permanent seat this Formula 1 season, but just missed out on all the opportunities. A seat at both Williams and Sauber ended up going to someone else.
When all the seats were already taken, the deal with Mercedes was quickly made. Bottas did want to stay involved in Formula 1, especially with a view to 2026. Indeed, from Mercedes, Bottas hopes to be back on the grid next year. That is when many contracts expire and with Cadillac there is even an eleventh team, and thus two extra seats.
Where will Valtteri Bottas drive in 2026?
''There are a lot of opportunities then again, right now in the driving market,'' Bottas begins when asked by GPblog about his options for 2026. After all, Formula 1 is what matters to him: ''That's still what's on your mind especially with staying in f one. Right? Yeah. You know, Next year at this point still it feels far away. But time is gonna fly, and then we're mid season again. And then I have to start knowing about next year, but I think still it's a bit too early.''
''My goal is to still race in Formula One for the next years to come. And I will wait and see. That's the motivation now to work hard is to get back to racing. And where that opportunity might come at this point, who knows? But, we'll see. So I think that's why it's also quite exciting year because, again, kind of gotta figure out what's next for 2026.''
With an exit from Formula One, some drivers sometimes also seem to be really done with the sport. Fernando Alonso was out for a few years and Daniel Ricciardo, too, seemed to be able to live with a complete exit from F1 after his recent departure. For Bottas, that certainly does not apply yet.
In this class Bottas wants to race if F1 fails again
''I mean, yes. The first priority is to be in Formula One. But if that was not the case, then I need seriously consider other alternatives, which is racing full time. And then I will have to look at all the options, but for sure IndyCar would be a solid option. But, I don't think about it at this moment. Now I'm just focused on F1.''
Valtteri Bottas' reserve role at Mercedes therefore seems mainly a temporary solution, hoping to stay in the picture with the other F1 teams. A tactic seen more often at Mercedes in recent years, with reserve roles for Nyck de Vries and Mick Schumacher.
Bottas, however, does not rule out staying in this role for longer: ''I don't know. Not necessarily. It's always hard to predict future. Maybe next year I'll be in the same role. But, everything is at the moment wide open, and I'm just thankful that I got this opportunity to join the team and [to] have this role, which hopefully I can give lots of value to the team,'' Bottas concluded.
In the extensive interview with Valtteri Bottas, the Mercedes reserve driver also discussed how his deal with Mercedes came about, what the other options were and Mercedes' views on the Finn's hobbies whilst at Sauber. You can read all that and more soon on GPblog.com.
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica.
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