Toto Wolff makes exciting ‘watch this space’ claim about Valtteri Bottas as he seeks a 2026 Formula 1 seat

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Despite nothing being officially confirmed yet, it looks like Valtteri Bottas might be close to fulfilling his wish of returning to the F1 grid in 2026.

Bottas left the grid at the end of the 2024 season following his first season in the sport which saw him score no points.

Sauber‘s signing of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto for their final season before rebranding to Audi in 2026 was the main catalyst for the departure, as there just wasn’t any space for him to jump into a full-time drive anywhere else on the grid.

Returning to Mercedes in 2025 in the reserve driver role, Bernie Collins has told Mercedes to use Bottas in various media appearances instead of Kimi Antonelli due to the increasing pressures that the 18-year-old is currently facing.

READ MORE: Valtteri Bottas’ life outside F1 from girlfriend to wine and gin

Valtteri Bottas ‘deserves a race seat’, according to Mercedes chief Toto Wolff

Speaking in a mid-season review video by Mercedes, team principal Toto Wolff touched upon Bottas’s current situation as reserve driver for the team, as well as what the future holds for him, saying, “Valtteri has been part of the Mercedes family for a long, long time.

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

“But obviously, with Valtteri, he deserves a race seat, and hopefully that door is going to open and just watch this space.”

Whilst the Finnish driver is represented by his own management team, Wolff rejoined Bottas’ broader management team in 2023 after stepping aside during his full-time driver stint for the team.

This indicates that Wolff knows a little bit more than he is letting on at the moment, keeping a tight ship until there is something official that he can expand upon.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff

What are Valtteri Bottas’s options in F1 for the 2026 season?

Bottas has been linked with a number of seats for next year, as well as being rumoured to step into a seat this year if things continue to go downhill for Franco Colapinto. Bottas is open to a ‘short-term’ stint at Alpine this season, but is more excited by the long-term seat he can get with Cadillac next season.

Cadillac will be welcomed as the 11th team on the F1 grid next season. As it stands, they still don’t have a single driver locked in to lead them in their maiden season in the sport. Cadillac have ‘terms agreed’ with Bottas, but nothing has been put in ink just yet.

Bottas’s 12 years of racing experience in F1 make him an excellent candidate for the team currently embarking on the difficult task of building a team from the ground up.

He is facing a swathe of competition for the seats, though. Cadillac are also keen on what Sergio Perez could bring to the team following his exit from Red Bull at the end of last year. Mick Schumacher and Formula 2 star Jak Crawford are also on the shortlist.