Bottas: ‘My experience will help very interesting Cadillac project’

Valtteri Bottas remains steadfast in his determination to return to Formula 1, insisting he has “more to give” to the sport as he eyes a full-time comeback in 2026 – with the ambitious Cadillac F1 project a tantalizing option for the 10-time Grand Prix winner.

Despite losing his 2025 race seat when Sauber opted to move forward with a new driver line-up, the Finnish veteran insists his F1 journey isn’t over as his assion for the sport remains undimmed.

Speaking on the latest Beyond The Grid podcast, Bottas made it clear: he wants back in – and ideally with a team where his experience can make a real impact.

A Burning Desire to Race Again

“I’m sitting here now without a race seat, not because of my own choice,” Bottas admitted. “I definitely still feel – and that emotion was quite quick after I knew I wouldn’t get a seat for this year – that I’m not done yet with F1.

“I still have more to give. It’s still [the] number one thing in my life. That sensation, now that I’ve been watching aside, has got stronger and stronger and stronger, and now I really start to miss racing.”

Bottas believes his most recent performances in F1 validate his case for a comeback.

“I just feel like the way especially the last two years went for me in my career, it’s definitely not the way I want things to finish. End of last year – some Qualifying, some races – I felt like I was performing at my best ever.

“I haven’t felt any degradation in myself yet. That’s why I just want to keep going. We humans, we have deg, but I don’t have it yet!”

Cadillac Link a “Very Interesting” Prospect

One team with an open seat for 2026 – and even two – is Cadillac, which will enter Formula 1 with backing from General Motors and TWG Motorsports. Bottas, currently working with Mercedes in a reserve capacity, is understood to be on their radar.

“I don’t think they’re in a massive rush,” Bottas noted. “They’ve been very, very busy on trying to get a car on the grid for next year.

“I know my timeline, when I want to know about next year and what plans do I need to make, which I think, August, more or less, is a pretty good target for that. But hopefully we’ll hear something more soon.”

Bottas believes his wealth of experience — having raced with Williams, Mercedes, and Sauber Romeo — puts him in a strong position.

“I think they have a few drivers on the list. I would imagine my experience will help because now I’ve raced in three different teams, with one of the teams [that] had mega success. With Williams as well, [we] had some great results, so I hope I’m in a good position.”

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And the challenge of building something new, from the ground up, is exactly what motivates him.

“For me, I actually see a very interesting project, something new to F1, an American team with maybe a different view to the sport. If I would be there as a driver, it would be actually very interesting because you can start from scratch.

“The team starts from zero. You could actually make a big influence on certain things, which direction to go, and that would be very motivating and rewarding when the success comes.

“I think the rule change is always a good point to jump in because you just never know, if you suddenly get it right you might actually be doing really well from the get-go.”

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