Valtteri Bottas had 'contract ready' to sign for F1 team before Cadillac

Valtteri Bottas has revealed he had a 'contract ready' to sign with a rival F1 team prior to committing to Cadillac earlier this year.

The 36-year-old currently acts as a Mercedes test and reserve driver, along with featuring frequently on their social media and helping to build the confidence and experience of the team's 2025 rookie, Kimi Antonelli.

Up until 2025, the Finnish racer had competed in every F1 season since making his debut with Williams in 2013.

But when former team Sauber opted for a completely new driver duo for this year, both he and team-mate Zhou Guanyu found themselves out of a seat.

Forced to watch from the sidelines, Bottas returned to Mercedes where he previously achieved his best drivers' standings finish, after being the runner-up to his champion team-mate Lewis Hamilton in both 2019 and 2020.

Next year, Bottas will join Hamilton out on track once again having secured his F1 return with Cadillac, where he will race full-time alongside Sergio Perez, who was also left without a seat in 2025.

In a recent interview however, Bottas has revealed that he came close to returning to the grid this year with the team where it all began - Williams.

Bottas reveals Williams return talks

Speaking in Austin, the home of last weekend's US GP, Bottas told Motorsport Week: "I like working with him [James Vowles] and I was actually, yeah, pretty close to signing with them for this year.

"Yeah, last year we had the contract already, so it was pretty close."

When asked what stopped him from sealing the deal to return to the sport full-time this year, Bottas said: "Carlos Sainz happened. So, yeah, that’s F1."

It appears the 10-time grand prix winner was no match for Sainz, who had been left hunting for a new team ahead of 2025 after Ferrari chose to give up his seat to make way for seven-time champion Hamilton.

Though Bottas and the Williams team principal are well acquainted given the five years they spent together at the Silver Arrows, Sainz recently revealed that Vowles first approached him way back in 2023, with the Spaniard clearly number one on his list of potential signings.

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