After three massively successful seasons for Mercedes between 2014 and 2016, the team found itself in a surprising dilemma when Nico Rosberg announced his retirement at the end of the season. The Silver Arrows needed to find a teammate for Lewis Hamilton at virtually a moment’s notice, and Valtteri Bottas was drafted in.
The former Williams driver drove alongside Hamilton for five seasons from 2017 to 2021. And at the end of his tenure at the Brackley-based team, he was voted as the seven-time world champion’s favorite teammate, in Hamilton’s own words.
At the launch of the 2017-spec W08, team boss, Toto Wolff had predicted this dynamic. He explained that after a tumultuous time with Rosberg and Hamilton’s bitter rivalry, Bottas was the perfect teammate for the now 40-year-old. “Valtteri is a very talented and experienced driver but he’s also very non-political,” he told WTF1.
With Rosberg and Hamilton’s rivalry in hindsight, Wolff went on to say, “The relationship between the two of them is intact [and] they respect each other as competitors and that is a good start.” And the Austrian’s perception was on point.
Lewis on Valtteri: “He’s the best team mate this sport has ever seen” #SaudiArabianGP #F1 @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/5PB3JX2fVO
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 4, 2021
Bottas‘ Mercedes career will go down in the history books as one of the strongest showings in the sport. The Finnish racing ace bagged 10 wins for the Silver Arrows, finished vice-champion on multiple occasions, and helped the team win five consecutive Constructors’ titles.
However, what made Bottas so crucial in Mercedes’ success was the fact that he was never really a threat to Hamilton’s title chances. In fact, the #77 driver admitted that when he said, “It took me until the end of my five years with Mercedes to realize and accept that I couldn’t beat Lewis over a whole season. He was really at the peak of his abilities then.”
Bottas returns to Mercedes for 2025 and beyond
Mercedes let go of Bottas to accommodate George Russell into the team alongside Hamilton in 2022. Now that the #44 driver has moved over to Ferrari and Bottas has left Sauber, he has returned to Brackley.
The #77 driver will act as the team’s reserve driver alongside their two full-time drivers, Russell and Kimi Antonelli. And while Wolff has given Bottas a second lease of life in terms of his time with Mercedes, having to wait on the sidelines will be a bitter pill to swallow for Bottas.
Having said that, the Finnish driver’s ‘non-political’ nature could come to his aid once again. Antonelli is still a relatively untested driver and chances are that he might lose his place with the team if he cannot consistently perform.
And if Bottas sticks around in the background, diligently doing his duties, he might find himself back in the mix for a full-time seat once again if the 18-year-old Italian falters beyond recovery in his rookie F1 season.
