Valtteri Bottas is in talks to return to Formula One in 2026

Valtteri Bottas is talking to teams about a return to the F1 grid in 2026, the 10-time grand prix winner has told TopGear.com.

The Finn’s unbroken 12-year stint in the sport came to an end in 2024 after Sauber dropped both him and teammate Zhou Guanyu following a forgettable year in which the team built the slowest car on the grid and finished stone dead last.

Bottas immediately took up the reserve driver gig at old team Mercedes for 2025, but he insists he’s fully focused on making a comeback in F1 rather than joining another series.

“My aim is to be racing again,” said Bottas. “So that means I’ve got to be aware of what is happening [in the driver market]. Of course I'm here [in Miami] focused on my job, but at the same time… gotta keep my ears and eyes open."

Among the available seats for next season are two brand new ones at the incoming Cadillac F1 team, which was ‘launched’ (if you can call it that) at a glitzy party in downtown Miami on Saturday night.

Reports have linked ex-Red Bull driver Sergio Perez to one of those seats, but it’s not known if the fledgling team wants two veteran drivers or a mix of youth and experience.

The US team, which will use Ferrari engines until 2029, is unlikely to find itself at the front of the field as its operation ramps up amid the biggest F1 rulebook overhaul in more than a decade. Does the idea of many, many blue flags put Bottas off?

“Cadillac is a new team joining the sport, which is exciting,” he said. “What would be motivating for me is to get into a project, you know? Commit to X amount of years with clear targets. That's what I need at this point.

“I don't see the point of just doing one season just to be in Formula One. But what I feel like I need is a clear project. And I think it’s a good example with a new team, that would be quite refreshing, when you can really start from scratch.

“But at the same time, if a place opens up in a car that you can fight for good points or even podiums or wins, then of course I would be happy to. But it's quite tricky at the moment to see how things are unfolding.”

As well as his 10 wins with Mercedes, the 35-year-old finished on the podium 67 times and scored 20 pole positions, and as Lewis Hamilton’s wingman the Silver Arrows won the constructors’ title in all five seasons he was there.

Is there a part of him that’s happy to call it a day? “I'm not content,” he said. “I still feel like I definitely have a few years in me, and more to give to the sport. That’s my feeling. But again, it's a sport that is hard to predict how things are going to unfold and if you’re gonna get another chance or not.”

In the meantime, Bottas has a small but punchy car collection to keep him occupied in Monaco. In the garage at the moment are a Mercedes GLS 450 (company car, duh), Alfa Giulia GTAm, Ferrari F8 Tributo and a Mercedes-AMG One.

And the “new baby” – an Alfa 33 Stradale, which he helped develop with a day of testing on track – is due to arrive in a few weeks.

What feedback did he give it? “It was mainly about the drivability of the engine and then the balance of the car on the racetrack,” he said. “I think it was the very first day on track with the car. So it was quite interesting for me to get a feeling with the car and if there's any adjustments needed.”

Bottas says he went “pretty traditional” with a red finish and “a bit of carbon in there as well”, but he isn’t looking for any more wheels at this stage. No room for a Cadillac then?

“I do like an Escalade,” he says. “And the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters.” Someone’s been doing their homework…