Valtteri Bottas will return to Mercedes for the 2025 season as the team’s new third driver.
The experienced Finn has no race seat left on next year’s F1 grid after being released by Sauber and was expected to return to Mercedes, where he was Lewis Hamilton’s teammate from 2017 to 2021. As a result, he won 10 games. -up role.
Mick Schumacher has been the team’s reserve driver for the past two seasons, but announced his resignation last month to pursue other opportunities in motorsport.
With Hamilton leaving the team for Ferrari, 18-year-old Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli was given the vacant seat next to George Russell.
“I’m happy to finally be able to answer the questions I’ve been posing over the last month. My next goal is to return to the Mercedes family as third driver in 2025 and I couldn’t be happier,” said Bottas. . In the final weeks of the season, he expressed his desire to win an F1 race seat from 2026.
“I would like to thank Toto-san.” [Wolff]the team at Brackley and everyone at the Three Pointed Stars for welcoming me with open arms.
“Despite the challenges of the last few years, I know I still have a lot to contribute to F1. My focus has been on success since I was five years old growing up in Nastra, Finland. At the top level of motorsport, I have been lucky to enjoy many great moments in the past 12 years of F1 racing.
“I will be returning to a place where many of those moments were achieved, so I hope to use all the knowledge I have gained to help the team perform and move forward towards its goal of competing for a world championship. looking forward to it.”
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said he was happy to see the popular Finn back and spoke about the impact the 35-year-old has had on the team during his first five years at the team. This was a period in which the team won constructors’ championships in all competitions. Season – as “incalculable”.
“His technical feedback and input were critical to our success and moving the team forward,” Wolff added.
“Along with that, he was a great colleague and team member, and his dry sense of humor and affable personality made him a firm favorite with everyone in Brackley and Brixworth.
“All these qualities will be very important in helping us qualify for the World Championship and supporting both George and Kimi on the track.”
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