‘Hopefully the door will open’ – Wolff backs Bottas in push for full-time F1 return as Mercedes boss says ‘watch this space’

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes that Valtteri Bottas is fully deserving of a Formula 1 comeback, amid the Finn’s links to the Cadillac F1 Team ahead of their debut 2026 season.

Bottas dropped off the F1 grid at the end of 2024, having lost a race seat at Kick Sauber, which led to him rejoining Mercedes in a reserve role alongside regular drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.

Although he has not been racing, Bottas is still playing a key role at the Silver Arrows – a team he previously raced with from 2017 to 2021 – through simulator work and his presence at the track.

With the aforementioned Cadillac team set to arrive on the grid next year, and 10-time Grand Prix winner Bottas one of the names being tipped for a drive, Wolff has shown his support.

“Valtteri has been part of the Mercedes family for a long, long time,” began Wolff, talking in a mid-season review video for his team’s social media channels.

“He is a driver that, if some of our guys would have fish poisoning, you put him in the car and he’s going to be absolutely on [the] pace. That’s great to know, that your reserve and third driver is as quick as it gets.

“But obviously, with Valtteri, he deserves a race seat. Hopefully that door is going to open. Watch this space.”

Bottas himself has described Cadillac’s project as “very interesting” – the operation being backed by TWG Motorsports and General Motors, and led by former Virgin Racing/Marussia chief Graeme Lowdon.

“[It’s] something new to F1, an American team with maybe a different view to the sport,” he told F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast earlier this year. “If I would be there as a driver, it would be actually very interesting because you can start from scratch.

“The team starts from zero. You could actually make a big influence on certain things, which direction to go, and that would be very motivating and rewarding when the success comes.

“I think the rule change is always a good point to jump in because you just never know, if you suddenly get it right you might actually be doing really well from the get-go.”

Along with Bottas, another experienced pair of hands in former Red Bull driver – and six-time Grand Prix winner – Sergio Perez has been linked to Cadillac, who are yet to confirm either of their two drivers for 2026.