Is Mercedes hinting at an emergency F1 deal? 'I miss him'

Mercedes has posted on social media admitting they miss Valtteri Bottas. The Finnish driver will be ousted from Stake F1 after the current Formula 1 season, but Mercedes has made it clear they "miss" their former driver. Bottas might be able to get an emergency offer from his old employers.

Stake announced Gabriel Bortoleto will partner with Nico Hulkenberg in the team next season. This means Guanyu Zhou and Bottas will leave the team at the end of the season. Following Stake Sauber's announcement, Mercedes posted on social media. They added the quote, "I miss him and it’s just a sports player," with the driver wearing Mercedes overalls.

On Wednesday, GPblog learnt that Mercedes would like to welcome him back after he had been Lewis Hamilton's teammate for five years. With George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Toto Wolff's team has two young eager drivers and an experienced man like Bottas in the reserve role, would be a good addition to the team. Bottas himself also indicated that he is looking at alternatives, including Mercedes.

Bottas joined Mercedes in 2017 as Nico Rosberg's replacement. The Finn managed to take the constructors' title with Mercedes in every season. He was eventually replaced by George Russell for the 2022 Formula 1 season.

This article has been created in collaboration with Jeroen Immink

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