Valtteri Bottas shares what has surprised him about ‘impressive’ Cadillac after factory visit

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Valtteri Bottas is just a few months away from making a full-time return to Formula 1 after 12 months in a reserve role with Mercedes.

He has the daunting task of introducing the new Cadillac outfit to the grid, helping them to carve their way into the midfield. The timing couldn’t be much better, as the championship enters a new era with the highly anticipated 2026 F1 regulations.

Bottas is a driver who brings constructors’ championship-winning experience after spending four seasons at Mercedes. He also knows what struggle can be like from his time at Sauber, but also went through a resurgence with Williams earlier in his career.

Bottas once recorded the fastest speed in history at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and has spent time in four cars from four different rulesets. Flavio Briatore rubbished Bottas’ Alpine claims after suggestions that he spoke to them about a seat. He says no such thing occurred.

READ MORE: Cadillac CEO reveals how Sergio Perez convinced him not to sign a young driver alongside Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Bottas surprised by Cadillac’s ‘advanced’ F1 progress after factory tour

Bottas ‘lost interest’ at Sauber and looked a bit dejected towards the end of his time with the Swiss-based outfit in 2024. He had gone from contending to victories every week at Mercedes to fighting for his life in Q1 most of the time.

There’s a strong possibility that he faces the same fate at his new team, but with the excitement that he’s a part of a big new project. They want to win, but they won’t have the expectation that it has to happen immediately.

From 2028, they will have their own power unit, but for now, a Ferrari deal will keep them going. They know that they will have a trusted and developed engine. Now, Bottas has been left surprised by a visit to their factory and how ‘advanced’ their progress is.

“Yeah. I didn’t actually expect everything to be that advanced,” he told Crash. “But I guess they started quite a while ago.

“There’s obviously still lots of work to do, but what I’ve seen so far has been impressive and gives me more confidence for the future.”

READ MORE: F1 paddock believes only one thing will stop Cadillac from being last despite signing Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez

What Valtteri Bottas’ Sauber colleagues privately thought about him before exit

At the age of 36, it seemed unlikely that Bottas would get another chance on the Formula 1 grid, given that he had been around for over a decade.

He’s a known quantity, but Cadillac clearly values having as much experience as they can gather in their early days to make progress.

Sauber ‘couldn’t stand’ Bottas anymore when he left, and his colleagues felt as though he wasn’t really trying at the end of his time with them.

He’s a relaxed character, and always has been. Perhaps that rubbed some the wrong way, but he still has plenty to give behind the wheel and is a driver to watch for 2026.