Valtteri Bottas completed a private test with Mercedes at Jerez amid rumours of a possible full-time F1 return with Alpine or Cadillac F1 Team.
The Finnish racer who rejoined Mercedes as a reserve driver for the 2025 Formula 1 season completed an impressive 113 laps around the Jerez circuit as part of the Silver Arrows’ ongoing driver development and evaluation program.
Yet what truly set tongues wagging across the Formula 1 paddock was not merely Bottas’ impressive mileage, but the swirling rumors linking the seasoned Finn with potential opportunities at both Alpine and the soon-to-be-launched Cadillac F1 team.
Valtteri Bottas has experienced a rollercoaster career marked by high-profile triumphs, team shifts, and undeniable technical prowess.
With ten race victories and twenty pole positions to his name — all achieved during his prolific stint with Mercedes from 2017 to 2021 — the seasoned driver carved out a legacy as a relentless competitor and an invaluable team player.
Leaving Mercedes at the end of 2021 Bottas joined Sauber (then branded as Alfa Romeo) where he became a guiding force through both competitive highs and organizational transitions.
However, as the 2024 season concluded and Sauber set its sights on a new era Bottas found himself out of a race seat, prompting his strategic F1 return to the Mercedes fold as their official third driver.
While Mercedes’ official communication described Bottas’s duties as encompassing simulator work, race weekend support, and technical input for race drivers George Russell and the rookie sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli, it was clear from the outset that his ambitions extend beyond reserve status.
His declared aim was not only to contribute to Mercedes’ resurgence amid Formula 1’s ever-competitive environment but also to position himself as the foremost candidate for a mid-season or 2026 F1 race seat, should an opportunity arise.
The recent Mercedes test can thus be viewed as both a demonstration of Bottas’s enduring racecraft and a calculated audition for prospective suitors.
Sources close to the situation report the 35-year old has been in contact with both Alpine and the Cadillac F1 operation, with both teams actively considering significant changes to their respective lineups in anticipation of Formula 1’s new regulatory era set for 2026.
Alpine has been weighing options as its current season has been marred by sporadic performance and driver inconsistencies, including the struggles of rookie Franco Colapinto.
Meanwhile, Cadillac, preparing for its high-profile entry to F1, is reportedly seeking a seasoned campaigner who can spearhead its development and lend instant credibility to its ambitious project.
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Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has stated that he would not block Bottas’s pursuit of a return to a race seat, affirming that Mercedes’ current third driver has the full support of the Brackley-based squad.
During the recent British Grand Prix, Wolff acknowledged multiple conversations with Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore regarding Bottas’s availability and suitability for a mid-season transition.
“I saw him today and we talked about Valtteri,” Wolff confirmed. “It seems that the interest in Valtteri is increasing even more. He deserves that seat.
“If someone grabs him as a race driver, we’ll let him go – of course with a tear in the corner of our eye.
“Ultimately, I give him advice as a friend. Valtteri ultimately makes the choice with his management.
“I try to stay in the background.”
Wolff’s diplomatic stance reflects the high regard in which Bottas is held throughout the Formula 1 paddock and underscores Mercedes’ willingness to facilitate career progression for its senior drivers, even if that means seeing a loyal team member move to a rival.
