After much anticipation over Valtteri Bottas’ future, Sauber has confirmed that the Finn will not race for them in 2025. Instead, they decided to sign current F2 championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto to join Nico Hulkenberg, as Sauber slowly transitions into Audi.
Although Bottas was given this heartbreaking news that could signal the end of his F1 career, he seemed to be in good spirits.
“When one door closes, another one opens” is the mindset that the Finnish driver has, suggesting that he already has a backup plan for his future or that he is confident of figuring out one.
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Soon after Sauber confirmed their signing of Bortoleto, Bottas took to social media to update his fans, personally thanking them for their unwavering support. While he did not reveal any specifics about his future plans in the video, there is speculation that he could potentially return to Mercedes as a reserve driver.
Bottas admitted he’s considering returning to Mercedes
Bottas drove for Mercedes for five years between 2017 and 2021, helping the Silver Arrows secure the Constructors’ Championship in each of those seasons. While he couldn’t match his seven-time champion teammate Lewis Hamilton in any of those campaigns, with 10 wins and a total of 67 podiums, Bottas played the perfect wingman to the British driver.
However, with George Russell joining Mercedes in 2022, Bottas found himself without a seat. This led him to Sauber—then known as Alfa Romeo—where he competed for nearly three seasons before departing after just three more races.
With all but one team—RB—having confirmed their driver line-ups for 2025, it seems clear that Bottas will not secure a race seat for next year. In an interview last month, he confirmed that he is in discussions with Mercedes and is considering “going back to the Mercedes family.”
Bottas is expected to make an announcement on his future in due course.
