Valtteri Bottas says he’ll take a contemporary perspective into 2026 when he returns as a Method 1 driver with Cadillac, following a yr on the sidelines as Mercedes reserve.
Sauber opted to signal Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto to guide the crew into the Audi period, signing each to two-year contracts that run via 2026 and leaving Bottas with out a seat for the present season. The Finn returned to Mercedes to help George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, however subsequent yr he will likely be again on the grid with Cadillac and believes the yr out has given him a greater understanding of his function as a driver.
“General now once I take a look at it, it is truly been a very good yr,” Bottas instructed RACER. “I’ve managed to safe my spot once more as a race driver in Method 1. And I had a yr of studying issues, being a bit on the opposite aspect of the crew.
“If you’re a driver, you are sort of in your individual bubble with a restricted quantity of individuals that you just work with instantly. And particularly while you’re out on monitor, you solely actually have one individual that you just talk with. However now, being within the storage for all of the periods, listening to all of the comms which are happening in several conditions, I feel I’ve truly discovered fairly just a few issues about teamwork and the way issues truly work whereas the automotive is on monitor.
“It has opened up my eyes a bit. I feel this expertise will assist me sooner or later, understanding a bit extra about how a crew must function and what must be the requirements in several issues.
“But in addition, I feel it has been a very good yr as a result of it has made me recognize the game far more. To be a Method 1 driver, one of many 20 – or subsequent yr, 22 – may be very distinctive. And I am going to undoubtedly have a unique strategy to the game in that sense.”
Whereas the Finn was eager to return to the grid in 2026, he insists he didn’t discover many different choices outdoors of the Cadillac alternative, given how engaging the brand new crew’s venture is.
“I set Cadillac as a precedence fairly early on this yr,” he mentioned. “In order that was actually the primary focus. In order that’s why every other discussions did not go too deep.
“For me, it was clear what I need. And ultimately, when that occurred, it made me clearly very, very pleased and all the pieces sort of labored out as deliberate.
“I did study from final yr that you need to by no means get too assured. So I knew that I should not get too excited, despite the fact that there was plenty of optimistic indicators and phrases and suggestions from the bosses. However I knew that till it is executed, simply maintain calm and do your factor. So, I undoubtedly discovered so much concerning the politics of F1 final yr.
“It felt nice [to sign], after all. And virtually like signing my first ever F1 contract, feeling-wise, it is actually cool.
“That day, announcement day in New York simply made me understand, once more, that I will be a Method 1 driver, which I recognize far more now than what I did some years in the past.”
