New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has thrown his weight behind Valtteri Bottas’s bid to return to Formula 1, as speculation grows around the Finn’s potential move to the new Cadillac F1 Team ahead of their debut in the 2026 season.

Bottas, a 10-time Grand Prix winner, dropped off the F1 grid at the end of 2024 after losing his seat at Sauber. He rejoined Mercedes in a reserve role, working alongside George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli, while also contributing heavily through simulator work and trackside support for the Silver Arrows – the team he previously raced for between 2017 and 2021.

Despite being off the grid, Wolff stressed that Bottas remains as quick and reliable as ever. “Valtteri has been part of the Mercedes family for a long, long time,” Wolff said in a mid-season review video released on Mercedes’ social media channels.

“He is a driver that, if some of our guys had fish poisoning, you put him in the car and he’s going to be absolutely on [the] pace. That’s great to know that your reserve and third driver are as quick as it gets. But obviously, with Valtteri, he deserves a race seat. Hopefully, that door is going to open. Watch this space.”

The “door” Wolff hinted at could well be with Cadillac, who are set to enter F1 in 2026 with backing from TWG Motorsports and General Motors, under the leadership of former Virgin Racing/Marussia boss Graeme Lowdon. Bottas himself has already admitted that the project has caught his attention.

“[It’s] something new to F1, an American team with maybe a different view to the sport,” Bottas told F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast earlier this year.

“If I were there as a driver, it would be actually very interesting because you can start from scratch. The team starts from zero. You could actually make a big influence on certain things, such as the direction to go, and that would be very motivating and rewarding when the success comes.

“I think the rule change is always a good point to jump in because you just never know, if you suddenly get it right, you might actually be doing really well from the get-go.”

Cadillac are yet to confirm either of its drivers for 2026, but alongside Bottas, former Red Bull racer and six-time Grand Prix winner Sergio Perez has also been strongly linked with the team.

–IANS

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