F1 star Valtteri Bottas given new racing opportunity in official driver lineup announcement

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Valtteri Bottas given new racing opportunity in official driver lineup announcement

Valtteri Bottas was forced to sit out the 2025 season

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 8 July 2025 19:59

Ex-F1 driver Valtteri Bottas has been given a new racing opportunity after Mercedes announced their lineup for the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The Finn was axed from Sauber at the end of the 2024 season, but was given an F1 lifeline by Mercedes who announced Bottas as their reserve driver for 2025.

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In recent weeks, Bottas has been linked with a shock F1 return with Alpine, as the Enstone-based outfit have struggled to score consistent points with their second drivers in Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto.

As switch rumours swirl, Bottas will enjoy a bit of fun at Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend (taking place Thursday, 10 July 2025 - Sunday, 13 July 2025), where he will complete a series of show runs in the 2022 W13 Mercedes.

The team confirmed that Bottas will drive on Saturday, whilst their second reserve driver Frederik Vesti will take part on Friday and Sunday.

"Introducing our Goodwood Festival of Speed line-up for 2025," the team wrote on Instagram.

"Fred will get behind the wheel of W13 on Friday and Sunday, with VB jumping in on Saturday."

What is Goodwood Festival of Speed?

Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual motorsport event, which takes place at Goodwood House in West Sussex.

The multi-day event is a celebration of motorsport history, featuring both modern and classic F1 vehicles and the iconic Hillclimb spectacle.

Goodwood's Hillclimb is the centrepiece of the entire weekend, where machinery from various motorsport categories and road cars attempt to set the fastest time up the 1.16 mile hill course.

Max Chilton holds the record for the fastest hillclimb, set in 2022 and behind the wheel of the McMurtry Speirling sports car, with a time of 39.08 seconds.

Max Chilton holds the Hillclimb record at Goodwood

In 2025, Goodwood will celebrate 75 years of F1, where attendees will get the chance to see the sport's most prestigious drivers and cars in action.

F1 champions will attend this year's event with the list including: Alain Prost, Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mika Hakkinen, Nigel Mansell, Mario Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve.

Innovators in the sport such as Adrian Newey and Ross Brawn will also be in attendance, alongside current F1 drivers Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon, with more competitors on the current grid yet to be confirmed.

Of course, iconic cars from F1's history will also be driven at the event, from Nigel Mansell's championship winning Williams FW14B, and Ayrton Senna's McLaren MP4/4, to the first ground effect car with the Lotus 79.

Mercedes FIA Alpine Valtteri Bottas Sauber