Valtteri Bottas Tipped for Shocking Mercedes Comeback in 2025 Amid Driver Market Shakeup

Valtteri Bottas could be in line for a surprising comeback to Mercedes, as the team seeks a driver for just one year. Is a 2025 return for Bottas to Mercedes on the cards?

Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 F1 world champion, has predicted that Valtteri Bottas will rejoin Mercedes on a one-year contract in 2025.

Mercedes remains uncertain about the driver who will join George Russell after Lewis Hamilton’s surprising move to Ferrari.

Promising talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli is believed to be the leading candidate, whereas Toto Wolff is still optimistic about convincing Max Verstappen to depart from Red Bull.

Carlos Sainz's name has come up, but it seems improbable that the Ferrari driver would agree to a contract for just one year.

Bottas has now been added to the list of names.

Valtteri Bottas was with Mercedes for five years before moving to Sauber in 2022.

The Finnish driver guided Sauber, competing as Alfa Romeo, to achieve their highest position in the championship, finishing sixth in 2022, thanks to a series of strong performances early in the season.

Since that time, the Swiss team has faced difficulties in advancing, leading to a decline in their ranking.

During a discussion on Sky Sports F1, Villeneuve suggested that Bottas might go back to Mercedes, allowing Antonelli an opportunity to start his career with a smaller team.

When questioned about his views on the 2025 Formula 1 driver market, Villeneuve mentioned that Sainz might end up at Williams. He suggested that Haas is not a preferred destination for most drivers, but those without a seat would likely accept an offer from them. Villeneuve speculated that Bottas could return to Mercedes, which is looking for a driver to sign a one-year contract. He reasoned that Mercedes would choose someone familiar with the team and experienced enough to prepare the seat for Antonelli's future.

“And then Toto will need to hire a group to find a place for Antonelli for a year.”

Karun Chandhok later mentioned that he believes Ollie Bearman will join Haas, as the team holds him in high regard. The second seat is still available, but with Ocon currently on the market, Bottas and Zhou are also strong contenders, making them potential choices for that position.

"I'm curious about Jacques' theory because I haven't come across the Bottas one before. Do you perhaps have information that we're not aware of?"

Villeneuve finished by saying, “No, it’s simply an intuition.”

Explore Further

Breaking News

Breaking News

Site Navigation

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is prohibited to reproduce the text, photos, or images in whole or in part in any manner.