Valtteri Bottas must be buzzing to be reunited with ex-Williams chief at Cadillac who transformed the team

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Valtteri Bottas is ready to take on a dramatic new challenge in Formula 1 as he prepares to lead the new Cadillac team to success.

The Finn was off the grid for less than 12 months before finding an avenue back in ahead of the 2026 F1 regulations.

Currently a Mercedes reserve driver, Bottas will have to fulfil his duties with the German manufacturer before transferring to any other projects. The bulk of the workload will be on teammate Sergio Perez.

Fortunately, Cadillac still have six months before they must debut at pre-season testing in Barcelona with their first ever car.

Cadillac still need to resolve one issue with Mercedes by negotiating his release. Only then will he be able to contribute to the project meaningfully.

Ralf Schumacher has one question mark over Bottas and wants to see how strong his race pace is after being away for some time. He’ll want to hit the ground running, which means extra pre-season testing will be a welcome bonus.

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Valtteri Bottas will be buzzing to be reunited with Pat Symonds at Cadillac

Bottas can ‘already see’ something at Cadillac that bodes well for the future, as they aim to develop their car as quickly as possible.

Winning the constructors’ championship isn’t going to be their immediate aim, but being competitive in the midfield could be achievable.

They’re bolstered by the experience of ex-Williams chief Pat Symonds, who has overseen many projects through the years. Now, he’s reunited with Bottas, more than a decade after they met.

“We work fantastically together with Mercedes – it was definitely the right choice to go with them – and the work they’ve done with us was very nice,” Bottas told the F1 Website about Williams in 2014.

“So yes, the engine is a big part of it, but also the car itself: you still need the grip in the corners from the car in order to be quick. The car has good quality. It was built with good reliability.

“Finally, the pieces are coming together at Williams. We have some new people since last year, coming from different teams – and the change in attitude is much down to (technical chief) Pat Symonds. We are on the right track now.”

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What had Pat Symonds achieved in Formula 1 before joining Cadillac?

Now operating as an executive engineering consultant for Cadillac, there was once a time when Symonds was much more heavily involved in projects.

For seven years, he served as Formula 1’s Chief Technical Officer, advising on regulations and specific rulesets of cars.

Competitively, he was with Williams for three years between 2013 and 2016, which was exactly how long Bottas was at the team for, overseeing their turnaround from the back to the front of the grid.

Prior to that, he also worked for Renault and had remained with them from when the team was known as Benetton and Toleman before that in the 1980s. He has been a loyal servant to the sport.