Valtteri Bottas\u2019 amenable relationship with Mercedes is set to stand him in good stead as he transitions over to work with his new Cadillac F1 team.<\/p>\n
Bottas is currently Mercedes\u2019 reserve driver, but has signed a deal to race with the Cadillac squad as the American manufacturer arrives on the grid.<\/p>\n
Valtteri Bottas: Mercedes has been really supportive<\/p>\n
Bottas was dropped from Sauber\u2019s driver line-up at the conclusion of the F1 2024 season, but found refuge at his former stable by returning to Mercedes as its reserve driver for this season.<\/p>\n
Bottas previously raced with Mercedes between 2017 and \u201921, and his contributions to the five consecutive Constructors\u2019 Championships during his tenure meant that his slotting back in at the Brackley-based squad was a particularly smooth one, given his existing relationships.<\/p>\n
While the Finn hasn\u2019t had the chance to get behind the wheel for a Grand Prix as a substitute for either George Russell or Kimi Antonelli, his experience and proven ability as a Grand Prix winner made him an attractive candidate for a return to the grid next season, and the burgeoning Cadillac squad has plumped for his experience as well as pairing him with fellow Grand Prix winner and veteran Sergio Perez.<\/p>\n
Unlike Bottas, Perez is completely without a team affiliation this year and, as a result, has had a minor head start on Bottas by way of being able to carry out some simulator work with Cadillac, while the team is set to observe a full F1 test amidst ongoing efforts to secure a car to allow for a test of its own.<\/p>\n
Bottas, due to his Mercedes<\/a> contract, is not officially due to start work with Cadillac until January 1st, but has revealed there are some conversations between his current boss, Toto Wolff, and future boss, Graeme Lowdon, about ways he can contribute to Cadillac without there being any concerns on Mercedes\u2019 side regarding the transfer of pertinent knowledge that Bottas could bring with him during these transitionary months.<\/p>\n Speaking to\u00a0Crash.net ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, Bottas revealed how Mercedes has been very supportive of his efforts to return to the grid.<\/p>\n \u201cThere have been talks,\u201d Bottas confirmed regarding Mercedes and Cadillac.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Graeme and Toto; they\u2019ve been in talks as well.\u00a0Mercedes has been really supportive of the transition, so I don\u2019t think they\u2019re going to block me in any way.<\/p>\n \u201cThere have already been discussions between me and Cadillac with online meetings and stuff like that, which I\u2019m allowed to do, and that\u2019s fine.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone understands that there\u2019s a lot of work to do, and there\u2019s already some driver feedback that they need for certain things.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, I\u2019ll start with Cadillac in January, but there will be a few things I could do here and there before that.\u201d<\/p>\n One of these few things is potentially simulator work, with Bottas confirming intent to have discussions regarding the possibility of climbing behind the wheel of Cadillac\u2019s virtual 2026 car.<\/p>\n It\u2019s understood by PlanetF1.com that, at present, Mercedes is open to evaluating requests made on a case-by-case basis over the remaining months of Bottas\u2019 contract, including requests regarding simulator work, given the broad spectrum of the work this may entail.<\/p>\n More on Mercedes\u2019 F1 2026 driver line-up<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Russell to stay? Predicting the next move for every out-of-contract F1 driver <\/a><\/p>\n