Mercedes reveal SHOCK F1 driver signing in surprise U-turn

Zhou Guanyu, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas at Australian Grand Prix 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Mercedes reveal SHOCK F1 driver signing in surprise U-turn

Valtteri Bottas is returning to Mercedes!

By Sam Cook.

Friday 20 December 2024 04:00

Mercedes have revealed that they will bring back one of their old drivers for the 2025 season.

The shock departure of Lewis Hamilton, announced at the start of the season, forced the team to change their driver plans, bringing in teenager Kimi Antonelli to partner George Russell.

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But, with the team also seeing another driver depart in Mick Schumacher, they have decided to bring in an ex-Mercedes star to replace the German's role as reserve driver.

Valtteri Bottas raced for five seasons with Mercedes, winning 10 races in that time as the team claimed five constructors' championship titles with the driver pairing of Bottas and Hamilton.

Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton spent five seasons as team-mates

Valtteri Bottas has recently been axed by Sauber

Bottas makes stunning Mercedes return

Bottas opted to make the move to Alfa Romeo for 2022, a team that later became known as Kick Sauber, in a move that he recently described as a 'mistake'.

In three seasons with the team, Bottas didn't manage to pick up another podium, and only scored 59 points, including a point-less 2024 season.

As a result, the Sauber-owned team decided to axe Bottas in favour of Gabriel Bortoleto, as they look to the future ahead of their transition to Audi.

Now, Bottas has been confirmed as the Mercedes reserve driver for 2025, a move which represents a huge U-turn for the Brackley outfit having previously sacked the Finnish star.

"I’m happy to finally answer the question I’ve posed over the past month," Bottas said in an official Mercedes statement.

"Returning home to the Mercedes family as third driver for 2025 is what’s next and I couldn’t be more pleased. I want to thank Toto, the team at Brackley, and everyone at the three-pointed star for welcoming me back with open arms.

"Despite the challenges of the past few years, I know that I’ve still got so much more to contribute to F1. Since I was a five-year-old kid growing up in Nastola, Finland, my focus has been on achieving success in the top tier of motorsport. I’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed many incredible moments in my 12 years of racing in F1 so far.

"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."

This is what's next! ? @ValtteriBottas will return to the Team as our Reserve Driver in 2025

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— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 19, 2024