Valtteri Bottas is returning to Mercedes because the group’s new third driver for the 2025 season.
The skilled Finn has been left and not using a race seat on subsequent yr’s Formulation 1 grid after being launched by Sauber and had been anticipated to return to Mercedes, the place he received 10 races as team-mate to Lewis Hamilton from 2017 to 2021, in a back-up function.
Mick Schumacher was reserve driver on the group for the previous two seasons however the German introduced his exit final month to pursue different alternatives in motorsport.
With Hamilton leaving the group for Ferrari, 18-year-old Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been handed the vacant race seat subsequent to George Russell.
“I’m happy to finally answer the question I’ve posed over the past month. Returning home to the Mercedes family as third driver for 2025 is what’s next and I couldn’t be more pleased,” stated Bottas, who made clear over the closing weeks of the season his need to a race seat in F1 from 2026.
“I wish to thank Toto [Wolff], the group at Brackley, and everybody on the three-pointed star for welcoming me again with open arms.
“Regardless of the challenges of the previous few years, I do know that I’ve nonetheless bought a lot extra to contribute to F1. Since I used to be a five-year-old child rising up in Nastola, Finland, my focus has been on attaining success within the prime tier of motorsport. I have been lucky to have loved many unbelievable moments in my 12 years of racing in F1 up to now.
“As I return to the place where so many of those moments were achieved, I’m looking forward to using all the knowledge I’ve gained to help the team to perform and progress towards our goal of fighting for world championships.”
Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ group principal, stated he was delighted to see the favored Finn return, describing the 35-year-old’s affect on the group throughout his first 5 years with them – a interval during which they received the Constructors’ Championship in each season – as “immense”.
“His technical feedback and input were important in helping us to those successes and pushing the team forward,” added Wolff.
“Not only that, but he was also a fantastic colleague and team member. His dry sense of humour and personable nature made him a firm favourite with everyone at Brackley and Brixworth.
“All these qualities will likely be extremely essential in serving to us compete for world championships and supporting each George and Kimi on observe.”
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