Valtteri Bottas is a Finnish racing driver who returns to the Formula 1 grid in 2026 with the new Cadillac Formula 1 Team, partnering Sergio Pérez. Born Valtteri Viktor Bottas on 28 August 1989 in Nastola, Finland, he is a 10-time Grand Prix winner and one of the most experienced drivers on the grid. ¹²

Marking his first day with the team in December 2025, Bottas called it "a proud moment in my career as it marks the beginning of a new chapter back on the grid with a team that's starting its journey in the sport," adding that he was "keen to use my experience to help the team now that I'm fully on board." ³

“" In August 2025 Cadillac confirmed Bottas and Pérez as its inaugural driver pairing on multi-year deals.”

Early life and karting

Bottas grew up in Nastola and took up karting at the age of six, inspired by his boyhood hero, compatriot Mika Häkkinen. He finished eighth in the 2005 Karting World Cup before moving into single-seaters, and completed Finland's mandatory military service alongside his early racing career. ¹

Junior formulae

Bottas announced himself in 2008 by winning both the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and the Northern European Cup with Motopark, edging Daniel Ricciardo to the Eurocup title and taking the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Award. He moved to Formula 3 with ART Grand Prix, winning the Masters of Formula 3 in both 2009 and 2010 — the first driver to claim that title twice — before a dominant 2011 GP3 Series championship, again with ART. ¹

Williams

After three years as a Williams test and reserve driver, Bottas made his Formula 1 debut at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix, scoring four of the team's five points that season. His breakthrough came in 2014, when he took his first podium at the Austrian Grand Prix and added several more on the way to fourth in the championship, helping Williams finish third in the Constructors' standings in both 2014 and 2015. He outscored a competitive midfield field as one of the sport's brightest young talents. ¹⁴

Mercedes

In 2017 Bottas moved to Mercedes to replace the retiring Nico Rosberg alongside Lewis Hamilton. He won on only his fourth start for the team, the 2017 Russian Grand Prix, the first of all 10 career victories, every one of them in Mercedes machinery. He set a record seven runner-up finishes in 2018 before two strong title campaigns, finishing runner-up in the Drivers' Championship in both 2019 and 2020, and was a central pillar of Mercedes' run of Constructors' Championships. After a famous "to whom it may concern" radio outburst following his 2019 Australian win, he remained Hamilton's loyal wingman until Mercedes promoted George Russell for 2022. ¹⁵

Alfa Romeo, Sauber and reserve role

From 2022 to 2024 Bottas led the line at Alfa Romeo, later Sauber, scoring a competitive 49 points in his first season before the team slid down the order, culminating in a pointless 2024. Released as the squad prepared for its Audi future, he returned to Mercedes as reserve driver for 2025 — a year away from racing that he says deepened his understanding of the sport. Hearing every operational channel rather than just his race engineer left him with, in his words, "much more knowledge than I ever had before," and test outings kept him sharp: "every time I've jumped in the car, I felt good. I felt not rusty at all." ¹⁶⁷

Cadillac signing

In August 2025 Cadillac confirmed Bottas and Pérez as its inaugural driver pairing on multi-year deals. Team Principal Graeme Lowdon called signing "two very experienced racers" a "bold signal of intent," noting "they know what it takes to succeed in Formula 1." Mercedes boss Toto Wolff backed the move publicly — "He will shine" — and Bottas credited the team's support: "Toto, he's seen that I miss racing, and he knows how I want to race. And he was really happy for me." ²⁸⁹

2026 season and current form

Cadillac's debut season has been a hard slog. Around a third of the way in the team has yet to score a point, and Bottas has wrestled with reliability, suffering a second consecutive retirement at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. With an upgrade package expected at the Austrian Grand Prix, he has been realistic, conceding there is "a long way to go" while Pérez has held the upper hand in their intra-team battle. ¹⁰¹¹

Career record and style

Through his last full season Bottas had amassed 10 wins, 67 podiums and 20 pole positions with 19 fastest laps, but no World Drivers' Championship — and he holds the record for the most career points without a title. A specialist in one-lap qualifying pace and metronomic consistency, he is also among the more technically engaged drivers on the grid, traits that make him a valuable benchmark for a young team. ¹

Bottom line

Bottas is a fast, consistent and technically engaged driver whose long Mercedes apprenticeship makes him an ideal development reference for a new constructor. At Cadillac he and Pérez form one of the most experienced rookie-team line-ups in F1 history. ²¹