In 2025, Valtteri Bottas returned to a team he knows well, Mercedes. He holds the role of reserve driver and, so far, hasn’t had the chance to drive an F1 car again. However, the story changed thanks to McLaren, who arranged a test day for him.
What’s the reason for this test session? Is the Woking team considering replacing one of their current drivers? Here’s the truth behind this test featuring Valtteri Bottas.
Test Details
Currently, Valtteri Bottas is in Barcelona. In the coming days, he will be on the track that will host the F1 GP in June, where the Finnish driver will run. The Mercedes reserve driver will test with McLaren for a TPC (Testing of Previous Cars). He will have the MCL60, the car used by Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in 2023.
Valtteri Bottas on Track with McLaren: The Reason
No, the Woking team is not considering replacing one of their two drivers with Valtteri Bottas. So why has the British team arranged a test with the Finnish driver? The number 77 driver currently belongs to Mercedes, where he holds the role of reserve driver.
The former Sauber driver, alongside the Mercedes team drivers, must also be ready to replace those from Mercedes customer teams, which this year are McLaren, Williams, and Aston Martin. The latter can rely on Drugovich, while the Woking team has decided to bring Bottas to the track to help him familiarize himself with McLaren’s systems and procedures, in case he needs to replace Piastri or Norris.
This won’t be the only test Valtteri Bottas will do this year. Nothing is confirmed yet, but it seems that Mercedes intends to organize a test for the Finnish driver during 2025. Will we see Valtteri Bottas back on the grid as a substitute?
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