Bottas returns to lead Cadillac's F1 charge in 2026 season

Beijing, Oct 8 (IANS) Valtteri Bottas has spent the past year watching Formula One from the inside without ever taking part. Officially, he has been Mercedes' reserve, attending briefings, analyzing data, and staying fit in case he was needed. Unofficially, he has been a man waiting for another chance.

That chance will come next season, when Bottas returns to the grid with Cadillac. The American manufacturer's arrival is a bold move from Detroit on F1's global stage, and for Bottas, it represents a route back into a world he never wanted to leave.

"Getting this seat has been my target for a while," he says. "This opportunity opened up, and I feel 100 percent good about it."

THE ULTIMATE TEAM PLAYER

To understand the weight of this comeback, it helps to look back at Bottas's years at Mercedes. When he joined in 2017, it was to replace Nico Rosberg - the only man at that point to have beaten Lewis Hamilton in equal machinery. Bottas quickly learned the scale of that task, reports Xinhua.

For five seasons, he played the perfect lieutenant: quick enough to secure points, podiums, and the occasional victory, but never so quick that he threatened Hamilton's authority. Between them, they delivered Constructors' titles in each of Bottas' years there. The Finn won ten grands prix in that time, but always in the shadow of his illustrious teammate.

There were weekends when Bottas was untouchable - Melbourne 2019, Austria 2020 - but a sustained title challenge never materialised. When Mercedes chose George Russell as its long-term partner for Hamilton in 2022, Bottas was moved aside, his reputation for dependability intact.

FROZEN AT SAUBER

His subsequent switch to Sauber was meant to be liberating. At last, he had a three-year contract and a chance to lead a team on his own terms after the uncertainty of annual renewals at Mercedes. But the optimism faded fast.

As Audi's takeover loomed, the team drifted, and results dried up. Where Bottas once fought Hamilton and Max Verstappen for wins, he now found himself scrapping for 15th. By the end of 2024, he had gone a full season without scoring a point.

"My Sauber years weren't the most enjoyable," he says with characteristic understatement. He later admitted the move had been a mistake.

When his contract expired, few expected him to return. "I got messages saying, 'Congrats on a great career, enjoy retirement,'" he recalls with a grin. "I didn't reply to those people because I wasn't done."

LEARNING FROM SIDELINES

Returning to Mercedes for 2025 as the team's reserve driver has given Bottas a perspective. "I've seen the sport differently," he says. "Normally, as a driver, your only contact is your race engineer. This year, I've sat in the garage, listened to the comms, understood more of what's happening behind the scenes in qualifying and the race, and what goes on in the factory. That will help me with building a new team."

He even came close to racing again when Russell fell ill in Baku. "They woke me up early on Friday just to get to the track and be ready," he recalls. "About an hour before the session, George said he'd try, and in the end he was fine."

Bottas shrugs. Routine, he says, after a dozen seasons. "Physically, I stay ready, and with the engineers, it's about going through the setup, looking at balance issues, and figuring things out. That's normal for me."

STEADY HAND FOR NEW PROJECT

Next year, Bottas will lead Cadillac's first steps into Formula 1. Nobody inside the team is talking about podiums or even points just yet. Instead, the emphasis is on finishing races, learning fast, and surviving the early blows.

"The first year with Cadillac will be tough," Bottas acknowledges. "We're not expecting big results. That's just the reality. But I'd rather be here than anywhere else. Being on the sidelines reminded me how cool this sport is."

Though still under contract to Mercedes until the end of 2025, he has already begun early technical discussions with his new colleagues. "We've had online calls with some of the engineers. We can talk about things like steering wheel layouts and basic preferences."

One of the reasons Cadillac turned to Bottas and former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez was experience. Between them, they have started more than 400 Grands Prix, and their jobs will not only be to drive but to guide - making sure the fledgling team learns the rhythms of a race weekend, understands how to prioritise development, and avoids the pitfalls that swallowed so many newcomers before them.

Asked if he would prefer a quick but fragile car or a slower one that can run all day, Bottas doesn't hesitate. "If you don't finish races, it doesn't matter how fast you are. For a new team, that should be the approach: get those laps, those kilometres, and build step by step."

When the 2026 season starts next March in Melbourne, Bottas will return to the scene of one of his most dominant wins. He won't be fighting for victory this time, but just being there will feel like one.

"I feel like I appreciate the sport more now," he says. "I'm definitely living the dream, and I wouldn't change a thing."

--IANS

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