At the start of 2024, Lewis Hamilton dropped arguably the most shocking news in recent F1 history. He announced his departure from Mercedes, committing to Ferrari for 2025 and beyond. Meanwhile, his former teammate Valtteri Bottas was struggling to hold onto his seat.
Bottas was on shaky ground at Sauber, a team he had joined in 2022 when he first left Mercedes. Sadly, his performances had been largely underwhelming, due to the poor mechanical package provided by the Hinwil-based outfit.
Because of that, his future looked insecure. He had an option to extend his contract beyond 2024 and was eager to stay in F1 but the higher-ups at Sauber were not giving him a clear answer. Naturally, he started assessing his options elsewhere and with Hamilton’s impending exit, he expected a call from Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff about a possible reunion.
However, as revealed in Season 7 of Drive to Survive, which premiered earlier today, calling Bottas up wasn’t really a priority for Wolff.
“Who goes to replace Lewis? That’s a tough one. I’ve still been waiting for the call from Toto, but the phone hasn’t rung,” Bottas admitted in the first episode of the critically acclaimed docuseries.
This segment was recorded just days after Hamilton’s Ferrari revelation, and Bottas had to wait a long time for any word from Mercedes. In the end, Wolff did contact him. But not for Hamilton’s seat. Instead, it was to replace Mick Schumacher as the team’s reserve driver for 2025.
BREAKING: Valtteri Bottas returns to Mercedes
He will take the role of reserve driver at the Silver Arrows #F1 pic.twitter.com/q82DZI8ZIm
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 19, 2024
Wolff had chosen Kimi Antonelli as Hamilton’s successor and wasted little time in confirming the Italian’s spot on the team. Then, when it was revealed that Schumacher would shift his focus to Alpine’s endurance racing program, bringing Bottas’ experience back to Brackley became a no-brainer.
The call from Wolff came in December, meaning Bottas had to wait for nearly a year. It wasn’t the reunion he had hoped for, but given the lack of available seats on the grid, a reserve role at his former home was the best opportunity at hand.
It will take some time for him to get used to this new role. However, the Finn will undoubtedly be a valuable asset to the Silver Arrows.
Not only will his presence support Antonelli—a raw and untested talent—behind the scenes, but he will also contribute to the development of the W16 by logging hours in the simulator and providing crucial feedback. Additionally, as a hugely popular figure, he will be an excellent ambassador for the team’s commercial activities.
And who knows? If Antonelli struggles to meet expectations in the highly competitive world of F1, perhaps Bottas could get a second stint with Mercedes.
