Valtteri Bottas is being considered as the ideal “stop-gap” choice for Mercedes to fill the void left by Lewis Hamilton, who will be moving to Ferrari for the F1 2025 season.
Following Hamilton’s announcement in February about his departure to Ferrari on a multi-year deal, Mercedes has been actively seeking his replacement. This marks the end of Hamilton’s longstanding and fruitful partnership with the German team.
Candidates for the coveted spot alongside George Russell in the 2025 F1 season include Carlos Sainz, the driver Hamilton is replacing at Ferrari, reigning World Champion Max Verstappen, and Mercedes’ own 17-year-old Italian prodigy, Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
While Antonelli has been Mercedes’ preferred choice to succeed Hamilton, concerns have arisen regarding his lack of experience. This has prompted the team to explore alternative options.
Tom Clarkson, speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, reiterated his belief that Antonelli, who will turn 18 – the minimum age for F1 superlicence eligibility – on the day of the Dutch Grand Prix in late August, is highly likely to take Logan Sargeant’s place at Williams for the latter part of the season.
Should Mercedes decide that 2025 is too soon for Antonelli’s promotion, Valtteri Bottas emerges as a strong contender for a short-term contract. Bottas, who enjoyed success with Mercedes, securing 10 victories between 2017 and 2021, has strong ties with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
Bottas finds himself at a crossroads in his F1 career, especially after Sauber announced the signing of Nico Hulkenberg. Additionally, there are rumors that Sauber, set to rebrand as Audi for F1’s new era in 2026, has made a substantial offer to Sainz as well.
Clarkson emphasized, “Toto Wolff envisions Antonelli as a long-term asset for Mercedes.
“It’s just a question of: is he going to be ready in 2025 or does he get given to another team to learn the ropes and then comes back to Mercedes in a few years’ time?
“The talk in China last weekend is that Antonelli is going to be in the second Williams alongside Alex Albon from the summer break onwards.
“He turns 18 at the end of August. I think Williams are actually asking the FIA for special dispensation to [allow him to join earlier].
“Max raced in Formula 1 aged 17, why can’t Kimi Antonelli? But I think the rules are now set and I don’t think there will be a dispensation.
“So I see Antonelli in the Williams in the second half of the season, replacing Logan Sargeant, and then I think James Vowles won’t settle for anything less than 18 months.
“Mercedes are going to be looking for a one-year stop gap in my book. That doesn’t appeal for Carlos Sainz, he’s going to want a longer-term contract than that.
“I wonder whether Bottas could be that stop gap for Mercedes in 2025. He knows the team very well. He’s won 10 races and it’d be a much better option for him than anything else that’s on the table.
“So if Bottas ends up at Mercedes, then I think Sainz’s options become Red Bull or Audi.
“And I think he’ll look longer term and think Audi is a better long-term bet than Red Bull, because of all the changes and the commitment of Audi and Red Bull Power-trains and all the question marks around that.”
If Bottas were to rejoin Mercedes, he would once again find himself in direct competition with Russell, who showcased remarkable talent during his stand-in role for Mercedes at the Sakhir Grand Prix in 2020 when Hamilton was unable to race due to illness.
Russell’s impressive performance in Bahrain set the stage for a rivalry over the second Mercedes seat with Bottas. This rivalry intensified when the two drivers collided heavily in challenging conditions at Imola early in the subsequent season.
Having commenced his Formula 1 career with Williams back in 2013, Bottas is set to celebrate his 35th birthday in August.
