Valtteri Bottas has made clear that he is “not done yet with Formula 1” and has “more to give” the sport in the future, with the 10-time Grand Prix winner still exploring his options of making a return to the grid.
Bottas was left without a race seat for the 2025 season after Kick Sauber signed an all-new driver line-up, forcing him to take a step back and ultimately pick up a test and reserve role with former employers Mercedes.
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Speaking on the Beyond The Grid podcast, the 35-year-old emphasised his desire to get back into a full-time cockpit in 2026 – when new Technical Regulations will come into play – and add another chapter to his Grand Prix career.
“I’m sitting here now without a race seat, not because of my own choice,” said Bottas. “I definitely still feel – and that emotion was quite quick after I knew I wouldn’t get a seat for this year – that I’m not done yet with F1.
“I still have more to give. It’s still [the] number one thing in my life. That sensation, now that I’ve been watching aside, has got stronger and stronger and stronger, and now I really start to miss racing.
Bottas took up a reserve role with Mercedes for 2025 after losing his Sauber seat
“I just feel like the way especially the last two years went for me in my career, it’s definitely not the way I want things to finish. End of last year – some Qualifying, some races – I felt like I was performing at my best ever.
“I haven’t felt any degradation in myself yet. That’s why I just want to keep going. We humans, we have deg, but I don’t have it yet!”
One project Bottas has been linked to is the start-up Cadillac operation – an American team backed by automotive giant General Motors and TWG Motorsports who will enter F1 next year.
With Bottas an experienced, proven winner, and Cadillac building from the ground up, the Finn believes the two parties could be a strong match, while admitting the project is “very interesting” from the outside.
“I don’t think they’re in a massive rush,” Bottas said, referring to Cadillac’s driver line-up choices. “They’ve been very, very busy on trying to get a car on the grid for next year.
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Cadillac will join the F1 grid in 2026, with Bottas one of several drivers linked to the project
“I know my timeline, when I want to know about next year and what plans do I need to make, which I think, August, more or less, is a pretty good target for that. But hopefully we’ll hear something more soon.”
He continued: “I think they have a few drivers on the list. I would imagine my experience will help because now I’ve raced in three different teams, with one of the teams [that] had mega success. With Williams as well, [we] had some great results, so I hope I’m in a good position.
“For me, I actually see a very interesting project, something new to F1, an American team with maybe a different view to the sport. If I would be there as a driver, it would be actually very interesting because you can start from scratch.
“The team starts from zero. You could actually make a big influence on certain things, which direction to go, and that would be very motivating and rewarding when the success comes.
“I think the rule change is always a good point to jump in because you just never know, if you suddenly get it right you might actually be doing really well from the get-go.”
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