Valtteri Bottas Hints at Senior Red Bull Official Blocked His 2025 F1 Seat

Valtteri Bottas failed to secure a drive following his departure from Sauber at the end of the 2024 season. The Finn was in talks with teams to sign on for this current season, but a move failed to materialise. Instead, Bottas joined former team Mercedes as their reserve driver.

One of the teams interested in Bottas’s services was Red Bull. The Milton Keynes-based team were in contact with the 35-year-old who has a wealth of experience and ten race wins under his belt. However, Bottas revealed that a member of Red Bull didn’t want the Finn to join the team

Red Bull team member ended the chance for Valtteri Bottas to join the team

Valtteri Bottas is back at his old stomping ground with Mercedes, where he secured 58 podiums in five seasons. However, he is in the team in a different capacity. The 20-time pole sitter is the reserve driver for the Silver Arrows, where he does most of his work in the simulator to help the team progress. However, Bottas said that a “certain person” blocked his chance to sign for Red Bull.

Speaking to F1’s podcast, Beyond the Grid, Bottas admitted: “It was put down quite quickly because I think there’s certain persons or a person within the Red Bull organisation that, for some reason, is not a big fan of mine. But that’s life.”

BREAKING: Valtteri Bottas returns to Mercedes

He will take the role of reserve driver at the Silver Arrows #F1 pic.twitter.com/q82DZI8ZIm

— Formula 1 (@F1) December 19, 2024

“It’s a tough one because it seems like it’s not an easy car to drive. Obviously, Max is doing the job. He’s really pushing almost beyond the limits of the car, and whoever has been alongside him hasn’t looked great. I just wonder if that car to be driven fast needs a driver with experience. That’s my speculation, but I think they know that I’m keen to race.”

Both Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson have struggled to tame the RB21 and extract any performance. Bottas has twelve years’ worth of experience and has challenged for race wins numerous times. However, The Race have reported it was Helmut Marko who blocked the move due to the first corner crash in the 2021 Hungarian GP.

Will Valtteri Bottas return to the F1 grid?

With most teams having their driver lineup secured for the 2026 season, a return to the grid is looking slim for Bottas. His main options are the newcomers, Cadillac and the Mercedes customer team, Alpine.

Cadillac have held talks with Bottas, with the Finn keen on a “very interesting project.” The problem for Bottas is that the American team is keeping options open, and is reportedly in talks with Sergio Perez, Zhou Guanyu and Mick Schumacher.

Alpine is currently in driver turmoil. They replaced Jack Doohan after six races, bringing in Franco Colapinto. However, Colapinto’s performances are yet to yield points. Bottas’ team has had conversations with Alpine, and the Finn is cautiously optimistic about the seat opening up.

What Franco Colapinto Needs to Do to Secure a Full-Time Seat With Alpine

He said: “They’re on the second driver this year, and I think the next races will show how that goes again. Experience can always help, but there’s lots of politics in this sport. You never know if something opens up.”

If Bottas fails to get a seat for next season, it is unlikely he will return to the grid. The 35-year-old has a wealth of experience fighting at the front, which would help teams further down the grid. But will he return to F1? Let us know in the comments below.