In addition to his reserve duties, Bottas will serve as a mentor to the team’s new young driver, Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Team Principal Toto Wolff stated, “Part of the role of Valtteri will be to have a look at Kimi. Be there to coach, be there to have an eye on what’s happening on the track. Kimi is going to learn from Valtteri and from George.”

Bottas, who previously raced for Mercedes from 2017 to 2021, securing 10 Grand Prix victories, was left without a seat after Audi F1 opted for a new driver lineup for 2025.

His return to Mercedes fills the experience gap created by Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari and aims to support the development of Antonelli, who, at 18, is set to become one of the youngest drivers in F1 history.

Wolff also addressed aspects of Bottas’s public persona, noting that while the team values authenticity, certain expressions may be reconsidered.

He remarked, “We are Mercedes, so maybe the nude calendar is not on anymore. We’ve said that, but we need to keep him authentic. If he wants to keep the ugly mullet, then he should.”

As the 2025 season approaches, Bottas’s dual role is anticipated to be instrumental in integrating Antonelli into the team and enhancing Mercedes’ competitive prospects.

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Bottas, who had been Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes and contributed to five consecutive Constructors’ Championships from 2017 to 2021, found himself reflecting on the recent announcement.

At the unveiling of the Kick C44, Sauber’s first Stake F1 car following their rebrand from Alfa Romeo, Bottas was questioned about his reaction to the monumental driver change.

The Finnish driver admitted, “Surprised, I never actually thought that could happen, but I think it’s good for him.”

READ: Mercedes implored to sign Fernando Alonso as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement

Bottas recognized the magnitude of Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari, acknowledging that it signifies a major shift in the driver market for the 2025 season.

He also highlighted the potential for a highly competitive landscape in the sport as multiple drivers, including himself, will be evaluating their contract options at the end of the current season.

Bottas commented, “For sure, that’s going to now escalate some movement on the market for ’25, so at the moment it’s quite hard to predict how it’s going to go.”

Bottas viewed Hamilton’s move as an exciting challenge for the seven-time World Champion, believing that it would motivate him to elevate Ferrari to the top of Formula 1.

He also noted that this move would have a ripple effect on the sport, creating opportunities for other drivers and enhancing the overall competitiveness of Formula 1.

Regarding his own future, Bottas maintained that his primary focus is on staying with his current team, which is expected to transition to Audi. However, he left the door open for a potential return to Mercedes, should Team Principal Toto Wolff extend an offer.

READ: Breaking: Christian Horner speaks out as Red Bull launch investigation into ‘serious’ accusations

Bottas clarified, “If that wouldn’t happen, then actually there’s no team that I wouldn’t go to, let’s say, perhaps, but I know my priorities and I’ve got my list.”

Valtteri Bottas expressed his surprise and approval of Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, acknowledging the impact it will have on the driver market and Formula 1 as a whole.

While he remains committed to his current team’s Audi project, he remains open to exploring other opportunities if they arise, including a potential return to Mercedes.

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Several drivers in Formula 1 have expressed how they prefer to have a two-year deal rather than a contract for just one campaign, as it allows them to relax and focus on racing.

Bottas found only being given one-year deals for each of his five seasons with the Silver Arrows complicated, but he ultimately has “no regrets” about his time racing for the Germans.

The Finnish driver moved to Mercedes from Williams in 2017, replacing Nico Rosberg who decided to retire after winning the 2016 Drivers’ Championship.

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Bottas’ opening years with Mercedes were arguably his strongest, as his pace towards the end of his time with the Silver Arrows was often quite a bit slower than Lewis Hamilton’s.

Hamilton won the championship in four of the five seasons he had Bottas alongside him and picked up 50 wins along the way, whereas the Sauber driver finished on the top step of the podium on just 10 occasions.

Many insisted that the Finn just simply wasn’t quick enough to compete with the seven-time World Champion, criticism Bottas simply just had to deal with.

He insists that his target every year was to try and win the title and that he didn’t need somebody at Mercedes constantly telling him that he has the potential to beat Hamilton.

Bottas has stressed that everything was very “open” at the Brackley-based team and that he knew if he was an a***hole” to them he’d simply get replaced.

“No, it was quite open meetings,” Bottas told Autosport.

READ: Toto Wolff admits Mercedes forced to change pit-stop ‘mindset’

“Everything is based on facts and what they can see through the data on those things. You could see the average difference in qualifying or race pace. Nothing was avoided.

“I have no regrets because it was a tricky situation for me because I was every year on a one-year contract.

“I knew that if I wanted to fight for the title, I needed to be buried in this team. If I started to be an a***hole, I would lose my job pretty easily. They could always get someone else.”

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The three-time World Champion clearly put a lot of thought into the present, as he purchased the Sauber driver a hilarious book called ‘Museum Bums: A Cheeky Look at Butts in Art’.

Given that Bottas released his very own calendar consisting of 12 images of his rear, it was the perfect gift for him.

Bottas’ limited edition calendar was created to raise money for prostate cancer research, something it did to great success after raising $150,000.

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It’s clear where Verstappen got the inspiration from for Bottas’ present, with F1 having released footage of Bottas’ pleasant reaction.

“Interesting,” Bottas said, “’A simply lovely look at butts in art’.

“So it’s a book about art… and butts. It says ‘Have a cracking Christmas’. So there’s existing art for those, but then me put on top of them. It’s really creative actually.”

Remarkably, Bottas guessed correctly first time who’d gifted him the book and thanked the Red Bull driver for being “really creative”.

“Who could it be? Max? Alright! Well done, Max. It’s really creative so thank you very much. Merry Christmas,” said Bottas.

Verstappen’s comical side has certainly been seen more often in 2023, as the 26-year-old has been clearly more relaxed off the circuit.

Considering he obliterated the competition at almost every round, it’s easy to see why he was able to let his hair down.

Given how serious the Dutchman typically is when in the cockpit, it’s a welcomed change to see him being so funny.

READ: George Russell desperate to beat Lewis Hamilton

There has been signs this year that Verstappen has matured, something which has been identifiable both on and off the circuit.

2023 will forever be remembered for his dominance, in what is the most successful campaign by a driver in the history of F1.

He broke the record for most wins, most consecutive wins, most points scored, most laps led and percentage of wins in a campaign, whilst he also moved into third on the all-time F1 winners list.

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Verstappen is chasing a record-breaking 16th win of the season this weekend, which would see him eclipse his 2022 tally of 15 victories.

Having won the last two races at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Verstappen is the clear favourite.

Even if he wasn’t the favourite, he certainly is now, as he topped Free Practice 1 by just 0.095s ahead of former team-mate Alex Albon, before finishing on top in Free Practice 2 by 0.119s ahead of Lando Norris.

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Times are traditionally very close in Mexico City, given that a lap is completed in less than 1m 19s.

The incredibly long start/finish straight also provides the majority of the action at the venue, with it having been the site of a comical battle between Verstappen and Bottas during FP2.

Verstappen and Bottas haven’t battled each other in a couple of years, mostly due to the Finn now being at a side not capable of getting anywhere near Red Bull.

Bottas would often fight with the Dutchman when he raced for Mercedes, whilst his current car at Alfa Romeo doesn’t have the capability to do it.

This was proven in FP2 when the pair battled down to the opening corner, with Verstappen having come out on top after braking later.

Bottas was giving it his all to try and remain ahead of the Dutchman, as pointed out by Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

Lambiase informed the 26-year-old after the move that Bottas was even using his DRS, something which made the untouchable driver laugh.

“He even used DRS, unbelievable,” Lambiase pointed out over the radio.

READ: Max Verstappen responds to US GP boos

Verstappen clearly found the situation comically, as he replied: “Hahahaha!”

It was a comical moment in what was another stunning day for Verstappen, who will likely need to defend into Turn 1 come the race on Sunday.

Three of four cars typically enter the opening corner in the race very close together and occasionally even side-by-side, despite the slipstream and DRS not being as effective in Mexico City due to the immensely high altitude.

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In the earlier stages of his career, Max Verstappen was infamous for his aggressive and often reckless driving style, frequently jeopardising his chances of finishing races. 

Rumours even swirled about a potential demotion back to Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) after a practice crash in Monaco in 2018, just two years after he was promoted to Red Bull at the age of 18.

However, since that pivotal incident in Monaco, Verstappen has experienced a significant evolution in his driving approach, leading some to pinpoint that moment as a turning point in his career. 

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Despite this transformation, he couldn’t entirely shake off the “Crashstappen” moniker, as his past reputation continued to linger.

Yet, in a surprising twist, Max Verstappen now finds himself at the bottom of the Formula 1 “World Destructor Championship” standings. 

Over the course of the first 15 races in the 22-race 2023 season, he has caused just $220,000 in damage to the RB19, solidifying his position as one of the least accident-prone drivers in the grid. 

Of that total, $95,000 of damage occurred in Baku in April, with the remaining $125,000 taking place at Silverstone in July.

Only two other drivers, Valtteri Bottas of Alfa Romeo and Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, have caused less damage than Verstappen, with each accumulating $225,000 in damages. 

READ: Charles Leclerc claims Ferrari sacrificed him as number 1 driver changes

In stark contrast, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton tops the list, contributing to $525,000 in damage throughout the season.

Verstappen’s clean track record has sparked discussions regarding the strength of his car, which has led to numerous decisive victories. 

Notably, Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez ranks third on the list, with $2,109,000 in damages, highlighting that Verstappen is responsible for less than 9.5% of the team’s total damage.

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This unexpected twist has left the Swiss outfit reevaluating its options for its driver lineup, as discussions behind the scenes took a heated turn.

The revelation comes from a report by veteran Swiss F1 journalist Roger Benoit, published in Blick. 

According to Benoit, the Sauber team, which is affiliated with Alfa Romeo, expressed a strong desire to bring back Nico Hulkenberg to Hinwil as Valtteri Bottas’ teammate for the upcoming season. 

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Hulkenberg, a German driver, already has a history with Alfa Romeo/Sauber, having raced for the team during his third season in Formula 1 back in 2013.

The decision to pursue Hulkenberg as a replacement for Zhou Guanyu led to what Benoit describes as “heated discussions and arguments” within the Sauber team throughout the summer. 

The team faced a critical choice in determining its driver lineup for the 2024 season, with both Bottas and Zhou having performed commendably in the current season, despite the car’s limited performance.

One of the concerns expressed was that Bottas and Zhou appeared to be too perfectly matched, lacking the rivalry and emulation that often drives teammates to excel. 

This assessment further fueled Sauber’s interest in bringing Hulkenberg on board.

However, according to the report, even Bottas’ position within the team came under scrutiny during these deliberations. 

Nevertheless, terminating Bottas’ contract, which extends until the end of 2024, would have entailed significant financial implications.

The report also suggests that Felipe Drugovich, the 2022 FIA Formula 2 Champion and the current reserve driver for Aston Martin, was on the team’s shortlist of potential candidates. 

However, a perceived “lack of courage” within the team dissuaded it from making any drastic changes to its driver lineup.

READ: Ferrari boss speaks out on Max Verstappen

As anticipation builds for the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend, Alfa Romeo F1 recently confirmed its driver lineup for the next season. 

Both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are set to continue representing the team on the track in 2024, despite the earlier speculation and discussions surrounding potential changes.

In response to the confirmation, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Principal, Frederic Vasseur, stated, “We have faith in the abilities of our current driver lineup, and we believe that Bottas and Zhou will continue to contribute to our team’s success in the upcoming season.” 

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Since departing Mercedes for Alfa Romeo at the end of 2021, Bottas has returned to competing in the midfield, although his results haven’t been great.

2023 in particular has been a very challenging season for the Finnish driver, with the Hinwil-based team sitting ninth in the Constructors’ Championship.

Bottas has claimed just three top-10 finishes from the 14 completed races this season, with his last points finish having come recently at the Italian Grand Prix.

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In the Finn’s defence, it hasn’t necessarily been his fault, with Alfa Romeo’s package simply not being competitive enough.

With him being contracted to the team until the end of 2024, he will at least have one more season with the Swiss outfit, who’ll simply be known as Sauber next year.

Alfa Romeo are departing the side at the end of the current campaign, ahead of Audi’s merge with Sauber in 2026.

Bottas seemingly is keeping an eye on the developments of Audi’s arrival to the sport, which is being led by ex-McLaren boss Andreas Seidl.

The 34-year-old is confident that he can continue racing in F1 for “many years”, with him using 42-year-old Fernando Alonso as a motivation.

“If you look at Fernando, he’s now a good example of what you can do and still perform,” Bottas told Speedcafe.

“I still have many years. Of course, in this sport you always need to prove yourself with results.

“And that’s also now my motivation, to try and get good results, to maximise everything every weekend and also work hard with the team off the track.”

Alonso is continuing to perform at his very best despite being in his early 40s, to the extent that he’s claimed seven podiums in his maiden Aston Martin campaign.

Astonishingly, the Spaniard doesn’t look set to slow down anytime soon, with Bottas recognising that the two-time World Champion is an “outlier”.

“He’s perhaps an outlier. It’s not been done many times in this sport that you can still be super competitive at that age,” said Bottas.

“Every person is different, every driver is different, but, as I say, he’s maybe a bit of an outlier. But he’s still quite motivating to see that and definitely an example.”

Whilst Alonso has claimed seven podiums this season, Bottas has finished no higher than eighth.

The Finn’s last podium came at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, in what was his penultimate Mercedes appearance.

READ: Nico Rosberg fires massive warning over Daniel Ricciardo’s hand injury

Bottas admits that he can be patient in regard to waiting for another podium, with him insisting that he’s “happy” to wait until Audi’s arrival in 2026 to return to the top three.

“Yes and no. With certain things, yes,” added the Finn.

“Waiting until ’26 to be back on the podium? Yes, I’m happy to wait for that.”

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Bottas is currently contracted to Sauber until the end of 2024, having joined the team on a multi-year deal at the start of 2022.

The 34-year-old joined Alfa Romeo/Sauber at the start of last season after leaving Mercedes, with George Russell having taken his place alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Bottas has performed well for Alfa Romeo, but he’s failed to really shine.

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Team-mate Zhou Guanyu has arguably performed better, given how inexperienced he is compared to Bottas.

Whilst his performances haven’t been anything to write home about, Bottas’ experience would be very useful for Audi, with him expecting talks to be “happening soon”.

“We haven’t still spoken about ’26,” Bottas told the media including PlanetF1.com.

“I think those discussions are probably going to be happening soon. I think naturally when nothing is confirmed for some years there’s always speculation. So let’s see.

“It’s still a bit early for anyone to commit to ’26 so we’ll see.”

However, Audi are reportedly more interested in Carlos Sainz, someone who appears to already be looking towards the new power unit regulations.

It was reported that Sainz signed a “pre-contract” with the team for 2026, should he not remain at Ferrari.

The Spaniard’s team though, have insisted that, “Plan A is Ferrari. Plan B is Ferrari and plan C also remains Ferrari.”

When put to Bottas that Sainz was already thinking about 2026, the Finn admitting that “rumours” are always flying around.

“You know, there’s always rumours,” said the Finn.

Having raced for the Silver Arrows during their dominant spell, Bottas understands what it takes to be superior.

As a result, he can understand how Red Bull are currently feeling, given that they are clear of every team.

READ: Lewis Hamilton breaks silence on Apple pulling the plug

Despite this, Bottas admitted that he thought the gap between Red Bull and the likes of Mercedes would’ve reduced by now.

“I would have imagined by now with this new regulations that the gaps would be smaller at the top,” he said.

“But I think the new regs are still going to be more effective in the years to come with limitations on the wind tunnel testing, etc. So let’s give it still one or two more years. And then we’ll see.”

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Since leaving Mercedes at the end of 2021, Bottas has shown some great pace at Alfa Romeo, although his performances haven’t been consistent.

With the exception of the start of the 2022 season, Bottas has often done well in either qualifying or a race during a Grand Prix weekend, but rarely both.

Whilst some of this could be down to his car, Windsor believes an aspect of it is because the Finnish driver has lost some of his “edge”.

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This was proven last weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix, where Bottas was shocking in qualifying – he could only salvage 19th – but good during the race, which he claimed 14th in.

It was the complete opposite at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Bottas qualified an impressive seventh, but finished 12th.

He does still have another year on his contract, unlike Zhou Guanyu, so does have the security of knowing that he’ll be on the grid in 2024, regardless of his upcoming performances.

However, Windsor wonders whether Bottas believes that his days in F1 are coming to an end, with the expectations being that Audi won’t want the Finn as one of their drivers when their takeover of Sauber is complete.

“I like Valtteri, good bloke, and he was very quick in the early days,” he said.

“He’s still pretty quick now, but he does seem to have difficulties stitching the whole weekend together.

“He’ll seem quick on a Friday and then it falls away in qualifying, or he has a decent qualifying and it falls away in the race, a little bit like that [on Sunday].

READ: Haas highlights team unity after confirming 2024 driver line-up

“Is Valtteri slacking off as an F1 driver? I suspect he has a little bit. We’ve seen him on occasions this year looking pretty sharp and going well, not massively quicker than Zhou Guanyu, but looking good.

“But I think there is a little bit of loss of edge with Valtteri, which comes with the life he’s living now.

“I think, looking ahead into the future, he can see the Audi takeover if you like and the rebranding and the whole new technology, probably isn’t going to include Valtteri Bottas.

“It might in some sort of managerial or advisory role, probably not thinking of himself as a driver. And then he’s probably thinking, ‘Well, that’s my moment’.

“He’s not thinking, ‘I’ll back away’ at all, but I think when those thoughts start to come into your head, for example I can’t imagine Oscar Piastri or Liam Lawson are thinking, ‘When am I going to retire?’

“I think in Valtteri’s case possibly there is a little bit of that. But give him a good racing car, good set of tyres, free lap, he’ll be as quick as anybody – most people, anyway.”

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