The very best visualisation of simply how completely different Method 1 life has turn into for Valtteri Bottas was shaped in 2025 Bahrain pre-season testing, when Motorsport.com discovered him, wheel gun in hand, within the Mercedes pitbox.
However the Finn wasn’t beginning a brand new position as a mechanic for the Silver Arrows squad; it’s simply that as Mercedes’ 2025 take a look at and reserve driver, filming social media skits is a part of the requirement. And that’s one thing that simply comes naturally to Bottas.
Assume how his laid-back type has received him a legion of followers in his adopted second house in Australia. Or how, as of late, he’s all the time importing movies of each his sun-soaked biking exploits or mouth-watering culinary delights to just about 5 million Instagram followers.
Nevertheless it’s not simply stockpiling ‘content material’ the place the quip-tastic 10-time grand prix race winner is of use for the crew which he loved the vast majority of his F1 successes with. And it’s in doing these jobs for Mercedes that Bottas beneficial properties a key edge within the race to return to F1 racing motion in 2026 – a narrative that solely hardly ever ends in success for drivers.
“It is completely different, in fact – my espresso consumption has gone up!” Bottas tells Motorsport.com of his return to order driver life for the primary time since he held that place at Williams again in 2012.
“There is a bit extra time to hold round and communicate to individuals. [It’s] much less traumatic, for positive. Much less media than as a race driver, however then extra occasions with sponsors and companions. Certainly one of my jobs is to do the occasions, particularly night occasions, that usually you do not wish to put the drivers into. So, they’ll put the third driver in there.
“However, yeah, nonetheless concerned in all of the [engineering] conferences. Nonetheless following each session on the intercom and TV. Simply to maintain updated in case I’ve bought to leap in. And likewise on the whole, if I’ve any concepts or questions or perhaps a driver’s view on sure issues, then I communicate up.”
Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photos
On the moist Australian season opener – when Bottas was “following my first grand prix within the storage within the final 12 years” – this included suggesting that Andrea Kimi Antonelli would want to maneuver off-line extra frequently to chill his intermediates and indicating the crossover level for shifting again off slicks when the rain returned late on in Melbourne.
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“It is fairly a giant change once more from Sauber again to Mercedes,” Bottas explains, sat overlooking the Shanghai paddock pond within the robust late-March Chinese language sunshine at F1’s most up-to-date 2025 spherical.
“Simply the standard of engineering and the quantity of gifted individuals in a single crew. There’s nonetheless a giant distinction as a result of it is a larger crew. Every part simply perhaps runs a bit smoother due to the larger capability and assets, which is one thing I positively discovered after I got here to Mercedes for the primary time.
“However aside from that, like no large surprises [being back]. Every part is just about as I anticipated. Australia truly went higher than I assumed. It was okay, however it positively made me miss racing.
“Once we signed with Mercedes [just before Christmas after the 2024 season ended], which was truly fairly rapidly after the Sauber information, I had time to be prepared for this type of completely different period or position.
“So, yeah, it has been advantageous, it is simply clearly I needed to once more simply settle for to myself that, ‘okay, yeah, there’s in all probability not going to be any racing’ [this year]. After all, you by no means know, however I am truly actually grateful to Toto [Wolff, Mercedes team boss] for giving me this chance once more to be a part of an incredible crew, nice model, and I believe it is in a very good position.
“And, for me, it is necessary to be current, to nonetheless preserve updated with what is occurring on this sport with a very good crew, to have the ability to do some testing. As a result of I wish to be again on the grid. And if I might simply disappear someplace – individuals are likely to overlook your identify.”
Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
Picture by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Photos
And that is Bottas’s key level in returning to Mercedes away from racing and showing as its social media presence. By remaining a relentless paddock presence, he enhances his possibilities of getting again on the grid in 2026.
That’s unlikely to be with Mercedes, which has invested a lot in each George Russell and Antonelli (though each are formally uncontracted past 2026) as its present racing line-up. And if Wolff decides to return to attempting to woo Max Verstappen out of Pink Bull, that reduces Bottas’s already slim probabilities right here even additional.
However the 2026 grid is increasing with Cadillac’s coming entry, the place it will be logical to anticipate the newcomer to want to mix a rookie American or IndyCar driving expertise with an skilled F1 hand.
Bottas’s CV suits the mould completely, as does ex-Pink Bull driver Sergio Perez, who has been talked up by Cadillac director Mario Andretti in latest days.
And there’s a lesson for every of them within the difficult activity of incomes an F1 return – from the motive force who partially ousted Bottas from Sauber for 2025.
Again in 2022, Nico Hulkenberg used his place as Aston Martin super-sub and occasional TV pundit to point out necessary paddock figures that he was nonetheless suited to be again racing. Particularly, the German driver badged former Haas crew boss Guenther Steiner into being thought of for a 2023 race seat on the American squad.
When issues turned even more durable for Mick Schumacher as 2022 unfurled, it was Hulkenberg’s huge F1 expertise that Haas wished. He then leveraged that into changing into a future Audi works driver with a collection of beautiful performances throughout 2023 and into final yr.
Nico Hulkenberg, Kick Sauber
Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos
We put this level to Bottas, who agrees that remaining lively within the F1 paddock “could make a distinction” within the quest to regain a race drive.
“For those who’re a driver who’s round versus in case you’re a driver who disappears fully, I believe it has its positives to be right here and to talk to individuals,” he provides.
“Nevertheless it’s extra I do it for myself. I wish to preserve updated what’s taking place with the game. It is nice to be with an incredible crew, to see how they function, what sort of beneficial properties they’re discovering and why. Which might additionally assist me, in all probability, sooner or later.
“Additionally, as a reserve, you have to be right here as a result of in case you get the decision, you wish to be prepared.”
And does Bottas think about Cadillac his finest likelihood to earn that uncommon F1 return?
“This season will present,” he replies. “We have clearly bought many rookie drivers and on this sport, you by no means know. One thing can set off once more some modifications inside completely different groups and drivers.
“Nevertheless it’s, for positive, for me, a really fascinating possibility. It would not be a simple route, but when there is a clear plan of get there, then it might be a very fascinating undertaking, which I believe expertise may also help. So, let’s wait and see.
“I do know [Cadillac team principal] Graeme Lowdon effectively. However I do not assume he is making all the choices. Ultimately, they have a giant firm backing the undertaking. Once more, they have a board and all this stuff, who make choices or not less than affect the choices as this sport remains to be a enterprise and there are politics concerned.
“However, yeah, not less than he is seen me driving alongside Zhou [Guanyu, at Sauber with Bottas from 2022-24, with Lowdon the Chinese driver’s manager] and he is aware of what I can do. He is aware of my previous and my expertise.”
Sergio Perez, Pink Bull Racing
Picture by: Pink Bull Content material Pool
Once we level out to Bottas that Perez is taking the alternative strategy of staying away from the paddock, he’ll solely insist his approach “does not damage me – let’s put it that approach”.
Lastly, there’s how Wolff suits into the Bottas return story. He’s intrinsically linked with the 35-year-old profession story, in any case – managing him for a decade till he first signed to race for Mercedes in 2017 and overseeing all of his F1 wins.
“He has instructed me that he would like to see me racing nonetheless,” Bottas concludes. “And I believe he agreed with me after I instructed him that I nonetheless really feel like I am not executed with the game but. It is not the time but. So, I believe he can be comfortable to see me in a race seat. And naturally, if it is not right here, he would not stand in the best way.”
On this article
Alex Kalinauckas
Method 1
Sergio Perez
Valtteri Bottas
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