Mercedes star reveals F1 team's 'excitement' over Lewis Hamilton exit

F1 star Valtteri Bottas has spoken of the 'excitement' surrounding Mercedes' new driver lineup, with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli forming a formidable partnership.

The pair have got off to a brilliant start in 2025, boosting Mercedes up to third in the constructors' championship, with Russell achieving four podium finishes, and Antonelli scoring 48 points from his first nine race weekends in F1.

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18-year-old Antonelli took over from Lewis Hamilton, when the seven-time world champion opted to move to Ferrari in the hopes of securing an eighth world championship.

Since then, Hamilton has only scored 71 points himself, with former team-mate Russell a full 40 points ahead of the 40-year-old.

Now, Mercedes reserve driver Bottas, who previously raced full-time with the team between 2017-2021, has said that there is a real excitement around Mercedes about Russell being the team leader and Antonelli being the prodigy for the future.

"In the end, the spirit is still the same," Bottas said on the Beyond the Grid podcast.

"The winning mentality is still there; everyone is still working as hard as they can, trying to solve issues and get better. That hasn’t changed at all.

"Otherwise, losing a big figure such as Lewis, I think, has made some kind of difference.

"It’s hard to describe the feeling, but I think there has been some excitement over young Kimi and George being the more senior driver. Maybe it’s a bit more chilled in a way."

Will Bottas return to the grid in 2026?

Bottas was axed by his Sauber team at the end of the 2024 season, but was handed a lifeline by Mercedes to work as their reserve driver.

The Finn is also on hold for both McLaren and Williams, for if they need somebody to step into the car in the event of illness, injury, or a race ban.

However, his ambitions are still to race in F1 full-time, and he is eyeing a return for 2026.

He has already revealed that Mercedes would not stand in his way if he was offered a chance to speak with a team mid-2025, and in 2026 the arrival of the new Cadillac team opens up two new seats for drivers looking to get back into the sport.

On top of this, Bottas recently revealed that he held talks with Alpine during the end of the 2024 season, as rumours surrounding their driver lineup for 2026 continue to swirl.

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