In 2025, Valtteri Bottas will be stepping aside as a reserve driver for Mercedes. It’s a significant shift for the Finn, who has been a full-time driver on the Formula grid since 2013. Bottas is already looking ahead to his new adventure, and how strange it will be not to be in the car when the lights go out in Melbourne.
Valtteri Bottas will be returning to Mercedes in 2025. The Finn will take on the role of reserve driver, a stark contrast to the last time he worked for the German racing team. Back then, Lewis Hamilton was still Bottas’s teammate, and he regularly drove in every Grand Prix in the W12. Therefore, the driver thinks it will be quite strange to stand on the sidelines every race weekend.
“The biggest difference will be, I would say, when the lights go out on Sunday. I won’t be there, I’ll be watching from the outside and that will be strange and it will certainly take some getting used to, but I will try to stay busy,” the Finn candidly shares on Kym Illman’s YouTube channel.
Unexpected Dip in Form
Valtteri Bottas will primarily focus on simulator work and tyre testing as a reserve driver, and Mercedes can certainly use all the feedback from the Finn. The German racing team has experienced a significant dip in form since the introduction of the 2022 regulations. “Like everyone else, I didn’t quite expect the problems they’ve had since then,” the driver told Motorsport Week. “But yes, this sport goes in cycles.”
The ten-time Grand Prix winner therefore believes that the German team can return to the top of the field. “There are hints that they are coming back. Sometimes they have great performances, but these are still dependent on the circuit,” Bottas continues. “I know how hungry Toto (Wolff) is to win again. So I think they will eventually get there.”
