10-Time Formula 1 Race Winner Valtteri Bottas Set For Comeback, Will Join Cadillac in 2026 - Reports

The Formula 1 career of Valtteri Bottas has been on hold ever since he departed Sauber at the end of the 2024 F1 season, but the former Mercedes driver and ex-teammate of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is all set for a 2026 comeback with the newly-launched Cadillac F1 team.

Bottas had a successful spell in F1 with Williams, Mercedes and later Sauber but is back at Mercedes this season - albeit only as the reserve driver, whose main job is to do simulator and promotional work as well as help George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. 

However, the Brackley-based outfit have long maintained they would not stand in his way if he wanted to move. 

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A Shrewed Move for Valtteri Bottas?

Bottas has been linked with both Cadillac and Alpine, and he has stressed that he wanted to target a return to the grid in the coming season. 

However, there is a train of thought that Cadillac would be a risky move - the team have never started an F1 race before and new teams traditionally struggle in the pinnacle of motorsport. 

But Bottas' experience would help the team a lot in its nascent days and he can be guaranteed a long-term deal - something he was reportedly keen on. 

Alpine's own struggles and their recent short-term approach with their drivers makes a long-term deal seem like a fantasy, which perhaps explains why he chose Cadillac. 

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Who Will He Partner With?

As of this writing, there is no certainty who his teammate will be in the next season but one name has stood out more than any other - Sergio Perez. 

The Mexican fits the bill of being an experienced race-winner, and will also aid the team's development should he sign. There are also commercial benefits to signing him, as one of his backers is Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim. 

A team of Bottas and Perez would share an interesting dynamic to say the least, as the two were Mercedes and Red Bull drivers respectively during the 2021 season - when Hamilton and Max Verstappen contested a tight title battle. 

Mick Schumacher, son of legendary F1 racer Michael Schumacher, has also been linked - but the American team are thought to prefer experience to youth.