Why Bottas has the edge over Perez in 2026 F1 return race

The most effective visualisation of simply how completely different Method 1 life has turn out to be for Valtteri Bottas was fashioned in 2025 Bahrain pre-season testing, when Motorsport.com discovered him, wheel gun in hand, within the Mercedes pitbox.

However the Finn wasn’t beginning a brand new function as a mechanic for the Silver Arrows squad; it’s simply that as Mercedes’ 2025 check and reserve driver, filming social media skits is a part of the requirement. And that’s one thing that simply comes naturally to Bottas.

Suppose how his laid-back fashion has received him a legion of followers in his adopted second house in Australia. Or how, today, he’s at all times importing movies of each his sun-soaked biking exploits or mouth-watering culinary delights to just about 5 million Instagram followers.

However it’s not simply stockpiling ‘content material’ the place the quip-tastic 10-time grand prix race winner is of use for the crew which he loved the vast majority of his F1 successes with. And it’s in doing these jobs for Mercedes that Bottas positive factors a key edge within the race to return to F1 racing motion in 2026 – a narrative that solely not often ends in success for drivers.

“It is completely different, after all – my espresso consumption has gone up!” Bottas tells Motorsport.com of his return to order driver life for the primary time since he held that place at Williams again in 2012.

“There is a bit extra time to hold round and converse to folks. [It’s] much less hectic, for certain. Much less media than as a race driver, however then extra occasions with sponsors and companions. Certainly one of my jobs is to do the occasions, particularly night occasions, that usually you do not wish to put the drivers into. So, they’ll put the third driver in there.

“However, yeah, nonetheless concerned in all of the [engineering] conferences.  Nonetheless following each session on the intercom and TV. Simply to maintain updated in case I’ve received to leap in. And likewise generally, if I’ve any concepts or questions or perhaps a driver’s view on sure issues, then I converse up.”

On the moist Australian season opener – when Bottas was “following my first grand prix within the storage within the final 12 years” – this included suggesting that Andrea Kimi Antonelli would wish to maneuver off-line extra commonly to chill his intermediates and indicating the crossover level for transferring again off slicks when the rain returned late on in Melbourne.

“It is fairly an enormous change once more from Sauber again to Mercedes,” Bottas explains, sat overlooking the Shanghai paddock pond within the sturdy late-March Chinese language sunshine at F1’s most up-to-date 2025 spherical.

“Simply the standard of engineering and the quantity of proficient folks in a single crew. There’s nonetheless an enormous distinction as a result of it is a larger crew. Every thing simply possibly runs a bit smoother due to the larger capability and sources, which is one thing I positively realized after I got here to Mercedes for the primary time.

“However aside from that, like no massive surprises [being back]. Every thing is just about as I anticipated. Australia really went higher than I believed. It was okay, however it positively made me miss racing.

“Once we signed with Mercedes [just before Christmas after the 2024 season ended], which was really fairly rapidly after the Sauber information, I had time to be prepared for this type of completely different period or function.

“So, yeah, it has been high-quality, it is simply clearly I needed to once more simply settle for to myself that, ‘okay, yeah, there’s in all probability not going to be any racing’ [this year]. After all, you by no means know, however I am really actually grateful to Toto [Wolff, Mercedes team boss] for giving me this chance once more to be a part of an awesome crew, nice model, and I feel it is in function.

“And, for me, it is essential to be current, to nonetheless maintain updated with what is occurring on this sport with crew, to have the ability to do some testing. As a result of I wish to be again on the grid. And if I’d simply disappear someplace – folks are inclined to neglect your title.”

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes

Photograph by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Photos

And that is Bottas’s key level in returning to Mercedes away from racing and showing as its social media presence. By remaining a relentless paddock presence, he enhances his possibilities of getting again on the grid in 2026.

That’s unlikely to be with Mercedes, which has invested a lot in each George Russell and Antonelli (though each are formally uncontracted past 2026) as its present racing line-up. And if Wolff decides to return to attempting to woo Max Verstappen out of Pink Bull, that reduces Bottas’s already slim possibilities right here even additional.

However the 2026 grid is increasing with Cadillac’s coming entry, the place it could be logical to count on the newcomer to want to mix a rookie American or IndyCar driving expertise with an skilled F1 hand.

Bottas’s CV suits the mould completely, as does ex-Pink Bull driver Sergio Perez, who has been talked up by Cadillac director Mario Andretti in current days.

And there’s a lesson for every of them within the difficult job of incomes an F1 return – from the motive force who partially ousted Bottas from Sauber for 2025.

Again in 2022, Nico Hulkenberg used his place as Aston Martin super-sub and occasional TV pundit to point out essential paddock figures that he was nonetheless suited to be again racing. Particularly, the German driver badged former Haas crew boss Guenther Steiner into being thought of for a 2023 race seat on the American squad.

When issues grew to become even tougher for Mick Schumacher as 2022 unfurled, it was Hulkenberg’s large F1 expertise that Haas wished. He then leveraged that into turning into a future Audi works driver with a sequence of gorgeous performances throughout 2023 and into final 12 months.

Nico Hulkenberg, Kick Sauber

Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos

We put this level to Bottas, who agrees that remaining energetic within the F1 paddock “could make a distinction” within the quest to regain a race drive.

“Should you’re a driver who’s round versus in case you’re a driver who disappears fully, I feel it has its positives to be right here and to talk to folks,” he provides.

“However it’s extra I do it for myself. I wish to maintain updated what’s occurring with the game. It is nice to be with an awesome crew, to see how they function, what sort of positive factors they’re discovering and why. Which might additionally assist me, in all probability, sooner or later.

“Additionally, as a reserve, you have to be right here as a result of in case you get the decision, you wish to be prepared.”

And does Bottas contemplate Cadillac his greatest probability to earn that uncommon F1 return?

“This season will present,” he replies. “We have clearly received many rookie drivers and on this sport, you by no means know. One thing can set off once more some modifications inside completely different groups and drivers.

“However it’s, for certain, for me, a really fascinating possibility. It would not be a simple route, but when there is a clear plan of tips on how to get there, then it could possibly be a extremely fascinating mission, which I feel expertise might help. So, let’s wait and see.

“I do know [Cadillac team principal] Graeme Lowdon properly. However I do not suppose he is making all the choices. Ultimately, they have an enormous firm backing the mission. Once more, they have a board and all this stuff, who make choices or not less than affect the choices as this sport continues to be a enterprise and there are politics concerned. 

“However, yeah, not less than he is seen me driving alongside Zhou [Guanyu, at Sauber with Bottas from 2022-24, with Lowdon the Chinese driver’s manager] and he is aware of what I can do. He is aware of my previous and my expertise.”

Sergio Perez, Pink Bull Racing

Photograph by: Pink Bull Content material Pool

Once we level out to Bottas that Perez is taking the alternative strategy of staying away from the paddock, he’ll solely insist his manner “does not damage me – let’s put it that manner”.

Lastly, there’s how Wolff suits into the Bottas return story. He’s intrinsically linked with the 35-year-old profession story, in any case – managing him for a decade till he first signed to race for Mercedes in 2017 and overseeing all of his F1 wins.

“He has instructed me that he would like to see me racing nonetheless,” Bottas concludes. “And I feel he agreed with me after I instructed him that I nonetheless really feel like I am not performed with the game but. It isn’t the time but. So, I feel he could be completely satisfied to see me in a race seat. And naturally, if it isn’t right here, he would not stand in the best way.”