What Toto Wolff privately told Valtteri Bottas after he signed his 2026 Cadillac F1 contract

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Valtteri Bottas will return to full-time racing in Formula 1 in 2026 after signing with newcomers Cadillac.

The American brand will join the sport as the 11th team on the grid next year, in time for the new technical regulations. For their first driver pairing, Cadillac have opted for experience, signing Bottas and Sergio Perez to multi-year contracts.

The pair lost their seats at Sauber and Red Bull respectively at the end of 2024, but Bottas managed to stay in the paddock in 2025. He returned to Mercedes as a reserve driver, having won 10 races as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate between 2017 and 2021.

Bottas was linked with Alpine earlier in 2025, as Flavio Briatore debated replacing Franco Colapinto mid-season. However, a move never materialised, with Briatore rubbishing claims he spoke to Bottas over 2026 and a potential seat.

Eventually, after months of speculation, it was Cadillac who got the Finn’s signature. He is looking ahead to next season, where he will take the reins at a completely new team and project.

Toto Wolff told Valtteri Bottas ‘we can’t really replace you’ after he signed with Cadillac

The 35-year-old is unable to start work at Cadillac just yet, as he must finish his duties at Mercedes. Bottas has worked with Kimi Antonelli behind the scenes to help him through his rookie season, as well as aiding the team’s development of the W16.

Perez will ‘benefit’ more from Cadillac’s plans as they will involve him more in technical meetings, due to the fact that he has been out of the F1 paddock in 2025. Bottas already has the experience and sharpness from Mercedes, and it will be a blow for the Brackley outfit to see him leave.

Team principal Toto Wolff knew that he wanted to return to full-time racing and did not stand in his way when he signed for Cadillac. But speaking to Motorsport Monday, Bottas shared that the Mercedes boss told him that the team could not replace him.

He said: “Toto, he’s seen [in] me that I miss racing, and he knows how I want to race. And he was like, yeah, he was really happy for me.

“But at the same time, he was like, he told me: ‘We can’t really replace you with another, you know, who is going to do your job’. So, yeah, I mean, but it’s cool. They’ve been really supportive.”

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

How will Valtteri Bottas fare with Cadillac in 2026?

Cadillac have an almighty task ahead of them in 2026. They come to the sport as an entirely new team with a new set of regulations to tackle.

They could be at a slight advantage, given they have solely focused on next year’s car, while their rivals have juggled development between 2025 and 2026. However, Cadillac are still hiring several staff from other F1 teams, meaning they will be vastly inexperienced as an operation.

That is why Bottas was a masterstroke from Cadillac, as his learnings from Mercedes can be translated into turning the American brand into a competitive outfit.

With Ferrari engines behind them, Bottas and Perez will be targeting regular points finishes for Cadillac’s debut season. But no one will truly know where they, or their rivals are, until the cars hit the track in pre-season.