10 time Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas will be reunited with Mercedes as there reserve driver next year.
Finlay McSporran
Published: 15:43, 19th December 2024
The 35-year-old Finn looked to be out of F1 altogether after a disappointing season at Sauber.
Bottas was the only full-time driver not to score a point this year, leaving him 22nd in the standings. However these numbers are an unfair reflection on his season, as he was regularly ahead of teammate Zhou Guanyu, outqualifying him 21 times this season, and looked set to score points in China before a engine problem took him out of the race.
Things would only get worse for him after that, as the Sauber became less and less competitive throughout the season which hid his true potential, with the team eventually deciding to sign F2 champion Gabrielle Bortoleto, leaving Bottas without a seat for 2025.
That was until today, when Mercedes announced that Bottas was returning to the Brackley-based team where he had saw so much success in the past. During his time there from 2017-2021, Bottas took 10 wins, 20 pole positions, and helped Mercedes to five consecutive constructors championships.
“Returning home to the Mercedes family as third driver for 2025 is what’s next and I couldn’t be more pleased,” said Bottas. “I want to thank Toto, the team at Brackley, and everyone at the three-pointed star for welcoming me back with open arms.
“Despite the challenges of the past few years, I know that I’ve still got so much more to contribute to F1. Since I was a five-year-old kid growing up in Nastola, Finland, my focus has been on achieving success in the top tier of motorsport”.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolf said:
“Welcome home, Valtteri! It’s great to have you back. His impact and contribution in the five years he was with us previously as our race driver was immense.
“Along with scoring multiple Grands Prix wins, he played a vital role in five of our championship victories. His technical feedback and input were important in helping us to those successes and pushing the team forward.
“Not only that, but he was also a fantastic colleague and team member. His dry sense of humour and personable nature made him a firm favourite with everyone at Brackley and Brixworth.
“In his role as Reserve Driver, all those qualities will be incredibly important in helping us compete for world championships and supporting both George and Kimi on track.”
Other News
In other news, it was announced during the Qatar Grand Prix that Formula two driver Paul Aron would be joining Alpine as their reserve driver next season.
New team principal Oliver Oakes previously worked with Aron while he was team principal of the Hitech Pulse-eight F2 team. Alpines executive advisor Flavio Briatore said “there is a generational shift in Formula 1 at the moment, as we see with many young drivers coming into the sport and making an impact. We believe Paul is one of the best talents and we look forward to developing him into an F1 driver.”
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