Valtteri Bottas is set to leave his role as the Mercedes reserve driver at the end of the season as he makes a move to the Cadillac Formula 1 team in 2026.
Bottas, having previously raced for Mercedes from 2017 to 2021, returned to the Brackley outfit in 2024 after losing his seat at Sauber. The Finnish driver has become a fan favourite for his fun and sarcastic humour, and this has continued through to the final F1 Explains video he has done for Mercedes.
“Hi everyone, this is leaving an F1 team explained,” he said to the camera as he pretended to wipe away tears from his eyes, “by Valtteri Bottas.”
“In F1, leaving an F1 team obviously will happen eventually. It’s quite sad. I’ve done it a few times in my career. It’s not easy. But, if you think positively, in the end, there’s 11 teams in the paddock next year. So we are all one big family and we are going to see each other again.”
The video cuts to a montage of the driver hugging various members of the team accompanied by operatic music.
“One tradition as well is when you leave a team in Formula 1, after the race in Abu Dhabi, you’re going to end up in the marina, swimming, whether you like it or not,” he added.
“Leaving a team is never easy. I just want to say thank you, Mercedes.”
As the video fades to black, it cuts to a close-up of the Finn with the cameraman explaining they are going to need him to return the watch and team kit. The video once again cuts to a slow-motion montage of some of Bottas’s best bits as a reserve driver with the same emotional music.
Bottas will join the incoming Cadillac F1 team in 2026 alongside former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez as the American outfit becomes the 11th team on the grid.
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