Wolff confirms negotiations with former Mercedes driver

By Balazs Szabo on 26 Nov 2024, 01:00

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has confirmed that the Brackley-based outfit is currently negotiating with Valtteri Bottas, who might return to his former outfit.

Bottas made his F1 debut with Williams at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, partnering Pastor Maldonado. Across four seasons at Williams, Bottas finished on the podium nine times.

The Finn was then signed for Mercedes in 2017, replacing the retiring Nico Rosberg to partner Lewis Hamilton. He took his maiden pole position in Bahrain and his maiden win in Russia, finishing third in the championship following further wins in Austria and Abu Dhabi. After a winless 2018 campaign, Bottas finished runner-up to Hamilton in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

The Nastola-born driver took his final win for Mercedes at the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix, leaving at the end of the 2021 season after contributing to five consecutive World Constructors’ Championships. He joined the Sauber-run Alfa Romeo in 2022, but the Hinwil-based outfit confirmed earlier this year that the Finn will depart from Sauber at the end of the current season.

Although Bottas had hoped that he could stay in F1 as a race driver, his chances were over after almost the entire grid was finalized for the 2025 F1 season. The Finn is expected to return to Mercedes, where teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli will partner George Russell from next year in the full-time race seats.

Pushed on to reveal the current state of affairs, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff told Viaplay: “Nothing is signed, nothing is done but if we were to have him back in the family, we all would be all full of joy.

“What you can say is that if you have the opportunity in having a pilot like Valtteri back in the Mercedes family, with his ability, with his most recent experience of these modern cars, you can deem yourself super lucky.”

Asked when the contract can be signed, Wolff added. “You know negotiations at the end, lawyers always want to make contracts fail! I’m joking they are great lawyers, and it’s a matter of time.”