Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas is returning as a reserve driver for the 2025 season to the German team Mercedes, where British driver George Russell and Italian driver Kimi Antonelli are the main drivers.

Valtteri Bottas shared his excitement about coming back to the Mercedes family after his time with the team as a main driver: "I’m happy to finally be able to answer the question I’ve been asking myself over the last month. Coming back home to the Mercedes family as a third driver for 2025 is what’s next, and I couldn’t be happier."

Mercedes' view

Despite the challenges he’s faced in recent years, Bottas feels confident that he still has a lot to offer in F1: "Even with the challenges of the last few years, I know I still have a lot more to give to F1. I’ve been lucky to have enjoyed many incredible moments in my 12 years of F1 career so far," said the Finnish driver.

On his part, Mercedes' CEO Toto Wolff highlighted the huge impact Bottas had during his time as a main driver: "The impact and contribution of Valtteri Bottas in the five years he was with us previously as our race driver were immense."