Bottas returns to Mercedes as F1 reserve driver for 2025 season

BRACKLEY, England (AP) — Valtteri Bottas will return to Mercedes as its reserve driver for next year, the Formula 1 team said Thursday.

Bottas won 10 races over five seasons at Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate from 2017-21. He did not score a point this season with Sauber and the team replaced him and Zhou Guanyu with a new lineup of the experienced Nico Hulkenberg and Brazilian newcomer Gabriel Bortoleto, ahead of rebranding as the Audi works team in 2026.

Bottas’ return to Mercedes was made possible after Mick Schumacher, son of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, moved on from his Mercedes reserve driver role after two years.

“I’m happy to finally answer the question I’ve posed over the past month,” the 35-year-old Finn said. “Returning home to the Mercedes family as third driver for 2025 is what’s next and I couldn’t be more pleased. Despite the challenges of the past few years, I know that I’ve still got so much more to contribute to F1.”