Toto Wolff’s teasing ‘watch this space’ comment about Valtteri Bottas’ future could come back to bite the Austrian after the Mercedes third driver’s chances of scoring a seat with Cadillac took a hit. Formula One’s newest team are reportedly on the brink of signing Sergio Perez to their 2026 driver line-up.
Bottas dropped off the grid at the end of the 2024 campaign after Sauber opted to rotate both halves of their driver line-up, bringing in Formula Two champion Gabriel Bortoleto to partner Nico Hulkenberg, who signed on a multi-year contract at the start of the season. However, with seats at Alpine and Cadillac on the table for the first year of the new regulations in 2026, Bottas has been tipped for a return to the grid. With 10 Grand Prix victories under his belt and glowing recommendations from Mercedes, the veteran Finn is an attractive proposition for both teams.
“Obviously, Valtteri has been part of the Mercedes family for a long, long time,” team principal Wolff explained during the summer break. “He is a driver where, if some of our drivers had fish poisoning, you put him in the car and he’s going to be absolutely on pace.
“That’s great to know – that your reserve and third driver is as quick as it gets. Obviously, with Valtteri, he deserves a race seat. Hopefully, that door is going to open. Watch this space.”
Most expected that the ‘watch this space’ message was linked to recent talks with the Cadillac F1 squad. Bottas even released a teasing video on social media, in which he walked up to a road car produced by the American brand and declared: “That’s a nice seat.”
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Bottas reportedly held talks with Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon and other team representatives at the British Grand Prix, and it was expected that an agreement would be reached in due course. However, a new twist has developed in the new F1 team’s driver line-up saga.
According to PlanetF1, Cadillac have reached an agreement with Sergio Perez, who was dropped by Red Bull at the end of the 2024 campaign. An announcement of the deal is expected at the Italian Grand Prix, which is the second race after the summer break concludes.
This puts Bottas in a difficult spot. It has been reported that Cadillac bosses desire a driver line-up dynamic of one experienced head, combined with a talented rookie. While signing two proven Grand Prix winners is not out of the question, the Finn’s window to return to the grid has certainly been narrowed.
