Bottas lifts the lid on the Williams return that almost was

In a potential twist that could have reshaped the 2025 Formula 1 grid, Valtteri Bottas has revealed how he came tantalizingly close at the end of last season to rejoining Williams, the team that launched his F1 career over a decade ago.

The Finnish driver, now preparing for a 2026 comeback with Cadillac, opened up about the near-miss deal, shedding light on why his return to the Grove-based squad didn’t come to fruition.

Bottas, a 10-time Grand Prix winner, debuted with Williams in 2013, spending four seasons with the team before moving to Mercedes in 2017. His tenure at Grove-based outfit laid the foundation for a career that saw him become a key player in Mercedes’ championship dominance.

So, when Sauber opted to sign rising star Gabriel Bortoleto for 2025, leaving Bottas without a drive, a return to his former team seemed like a natural fit.

A Close Call with Williams

Bottas confirmed that negotiations with Williams team principal James Vowles were well underway last year.

“I like working with him [Vowles] and I was actually, yeah, pretty close to signing with them for this year,” the Finn told Motorsport Week. “Yeah, last year we had the contract already, so it was pretty close.”

The prospect of Bottas donning Williams’ iconic blue livery again was nearly a reality, with a contract reportedly on the table. However, the deal fell apart at the eleventh hour, and Bottas pinpointed the reason with characteristic bluntness: “Carlos Sainz happened. So, yeah, that’s F1.”

Indeed, Vowles, who worked closely with Bottas during their time together at Mercedes, pulled off a coup by convincing Sainz to join the team for 2025 after his departure from Ferrari.

The decision left Bottas on the sidelines for 2025, serving as a reserve driver for Mercedes before his return to the grid in 2026 with Cadillac alongside former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.

Williams on the Rise

Despite the missed opportunity, Bottas holds no grudges and remains optimistic about Williams’ trajectory under Vowles’ leadership, having witnessed firsthand the former strategist’s talent and diligence.

He believes Williams is reaping the benefits of Vowles’ expertise and the solid investment group backing the outfit.

“Yeah, I think they’re definitely getting on the right track,” Bottas explained. “They’ve [Williams] made progress.

“Still a bit variable weekend to weekend, but if you look at where they were a few years ago, they’ve done a great job. I think backing now, they are behind [a] good investment group, and also James has brought so much knowledge from Mercedes, so he’s done really well.”

• Read also: Bottas pumped to team up with ‘easy to work with’ Perez

Williams’ upward trajectory is evident, with the team on course for their best championship finish since 2017.

For Bottas, the near-return to his F1 roots was an alluring what-if, but his focus now shifts to 2026, where he’ll aim to make his mark with Cadillac.

In the unpredictable world of Formula 1, as Bottas succinctly put it, “that’s F1.”

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