Bottas "welcome back home" to Mercedes in reserve F1 role

Bottas, who spent his time away from the Mercedes limelight to the relative oblivion of Sauber, was not part of Audi's plans, the German auto manufacturer taking over the Swiss team for their own project. Opting for podium-less Nico Hulkenberg to lead the team, who also welcome rookie Gabriel Bortoleto to the team

Thus, without a full-time drive, Bottas has a CV that reads: 10 Grands Prix victories. 20 pole positions. 67 podiums. A key role in five consecutive Constructors' World Championships was won by Mercedes, when Bottas was the "world's best wingman," according to Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff.

Valtteri said in a press release: "I'm happy to finally answer the question I've posed over the past month. Returning home to the Mercedes family as the third driver for 2025 is what's next, and I couldn't be more pleased. 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. I've been fortunate to have enjoyed many incredible moments in my 12 years of racing in F1 so far."

"As I return to the place where so many of those moments were achieved, I'm looking forward to using all the knowledge I've gained to help the team to perform and progress towards our goal of fighting for world championships," added Bottas, a ten-time Grand Prix winner with Mercedes

Wolff added: "It's great to have Valtteri back. His impact and contribution in the five years he was with us previously as our race driver were 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," concluded the Mercedes boss.

Rookie Antonelli is an unknown factor ahead of the 2025 F1 season, some suggest it is a tad early to thrust the 18-year-old into the deep end with a team like Mercedes. Time will tell. Bottas provides them with an experienced safety net should Wolff's 'Kimi Experiment' go pear-shaped.