Valtteri Bottas

Valtteri Bottas is a Finnish racing driver who has spent more than a decade in Formula 1. Born in Nastola in 1989, he came through the GP3 and Formula Renault ranks before debuting with Williams in 2013. He impressed across four seasons at Grove, scoring multiple podiums in a midfield car and earning a high-profile move to Mercedes for 2017, where he stepped in to partner Lewis Hamilton.

At Mercedes, Bottas became a frequent race winner and the team's reliable number two through their championship-winning era, taking all ten of his career victories and 67 podiums between 2017 and 2021 while finishing championship runner-up in 2019 and 2020. He later moved to Alfa Romeo and its Sauber successor from 2022, leading a midfield team before stepping back from a race seat after 2024.

Following his 2025 absence from a full-time drive, Bottas returns to the grid in 2026 with the new Cadillac team alongside Sergio Pérez. As the new entrant establishes itself, the experienced Finn sits near the foot of the standings after the opening rounds, lending his know-how to the project's early development.

Bottas is a fast, technically meticulous driver renowned for his raw qualifying speed and unflappable temperament. As Hamilton's team-mate he played a crucial supporting role in several Mercedes title campaigns while collecting wins and poles of his own. Experienced, popular and adaptable, he brings valuable continuity and pace to Cadillac's debut on the grid.