Valtteri Bottas, Finnish driver with 10 Formula 1 Grand Prix wins and 67 podiums, was fired alongside Zhou Guanyu from Kick Sauber F1 Team after a disastrous season, without scoring a single point.
The future of the 35-year-old driver was uncertain, and recently, among the multiple "exchanges" from last season to the next, it was confirmed that Bottas would return to Mercedes.
However, in a different capacity as the Bottas was used to: he will be a reserve driver, with the two main drivers being returning George Russell and debutant Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
After Lewis Hamilton's exit, Mercedes has prioritised a rookie, only 18, before Bottas. "Returning home to the Mercedes family as third driver for 2025 is what's next and I couldn't be more pleased", he said, grateful.
The Finnish driver spent there five seasons, from 2017 to 2021. When he joined Sauber, Russell replaced him.
"Despite the challenges of the past few years, I know that I've still got so much more to contribute to F1. Since I was a five-year-old kid growing up in Nastola, Finland, my focus has been on achieving success in the top tier of motorsport", he Bottas added.