Toto Wolff drops ‘watch this space’ hint about Valtteri Bottas F1 return

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has strongly indicated that Valtteri Bottas is close to securing a full-time return to F1.

Bottas has been acting as Mercedes’ reserve driver during the 2025 season after losing his seat at Sauber at the end of 2024 following three campaigns with the Swiss outfit.

The 35-year-old Finn and 10-time grand prix winner has had his sights set on an F1 comeback ever since and Wolff has hinted that Bottas could be about to get his wish.

"Obviously, Valtteri has been part of the Mercedes family for a long, long time," Wolff said during a ‘mid-season review’ video released by Mercedes.

"He is a driver where, if some of our drivers had fish poisoning, you put him in the car and he's going to be absolutely on pace. That's great to know - that your reserve and third driver is as quick as it gets.

"Obviously, with Valtteri, he deserves a race seat. Hopefully, that door is going to open. Watch this space."

Bottas tipped for Cadillac F1 seat

Bottas has been strongly tipped as one of the leading candidates to join the new Cadillac F1 team when they join the grid in 2026.

Cadillac are known to be looking to sign at least one experienced F1 driver for their line-up and Bottas fits the bill.

“I think we need to look holistically at what Cadillac are trying to achieve,” F1 reporter and presenter Lawrence Barretto said.

“And I think they want to hit the ground running as quickly as possible, and they want to find a way for the team to be able to build quite quickly. And I think then you therefore need experience, and I think that Valtteri and Checo together can potentially offer that.

"You've got Valtteri here. He stayed hungry in the paddock. He took this gig as Mercedes reserve. He's thrown himself into all of the social media work that they get him to do.

“He is available for everything. But he's doing the important stuff. He's in the simulator, he's across all the engineering meetings, he understands the development of the 2026 Mercedes, which I think could be significant.

"He's got immense experience of the Mercedes power unit. He obviously had the Ferrari power unit when he was at Sauber. I'm making a checklist that it's impossible to say no to Valtteri Bottas, and I think that's why those two are the favourites to join that team because I think they need that kind of experience.”