Valtteri Bottas has admitted he might be open to returning to Formula 1 with General Motors as he all but dismissed that he could remain on the 2025 grid at Red Bull.
Bottas is poised to miss out on a place next season amid Sauber’s decision to go with a new driver line-up, but he has expressed a desire to come back down the line.
The Finn’s hopes of claiming a reprieve have been bolstered with the news that F1’s impending regulation change in 2026 will coincide with an expansion to 11 teams.
This week it was announced that General Motors and its Cadillac brand have reached an agreement “in principle” with F1 to enter as the newest addition to the series.
Mario Andretti, who will serve as an advisor to the prospective team, has divulged that American IndyCar driver Colton Herta is among the options that it will consider.
However, it’s suspected the General Motors-backed operation will court an experienced F1 name to partner him and Bottas, with 244 race starts, matches that criteria.
Asked whether he would be interested in a potential drive with General Motors/Cadillac, Bottas told media including Motorsport Week in Las Vegas: “Yes, I might!”
Bottas rules out Red Bull move
The view that Bottas’ stint in the sport is over for the time being has come despite there still being spots to be decided next season at both the Red Bull-owned teams.
With Sergio Perez continuing to struggle, Bottas, who won 10 races during his spell at Mercedes, has been tipped as a solution to Red Bull’s second driver conundrum.
However, Bottas is not counting on receiving a call to partner reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen as he believes there are some people at Red Bull who dislike him.
“I feel like there are some people at Red Bull who don’t really like me for some reason,” Bottas said.
“I don’t think it’s an option, but that’s my feeling.”
Bottas poised for Mercedes return
Instead, Bottas seems braced to remain involved in F1 with a return to Mercedes in a reserve role, with team boss Toto Wolff claiming that a deal is a “matter of time”.
“Nothing is signed, nothing is done but if we were to have him back in the family, we all would be all full of joy,” Wolff told Viaplay weekend.
“What you can say is that if you have the opportunity in having a pilot like Valtteri back in the Mercedes family, with his ability, with his most recent experience of these modern cars, you can deem yourself super lucky.”
Pressed on how excited he would be to welcome Bottas back, Wolff replied: “Very much.
“You know negotiations at the end, lawyers always want to make contracts fail! I’m joking they are great lawyers, and it’s a matter of time.”
READ MORE – Valtteri Bottas tipped as solution to Red Bull F1 second driver conundrum
