Valtteri Bottas' chances of making a return to the Formula 1 grid in 2025 have significantly increased, with reports indicating he will serve as a reserve driver not just for Mercedes, but also for McLaren and Williams.
Just before Christmas, Bottas was confirmed as Mercedes' full-time reserve after Sauber, now under Audi ownership, opted not to extend his race contract.
"Despite the challenges of the past few years, I know I've still got so much more to contribute to F1," Bottas said at the time.
The 35-year-old, currently holidaying and cycling in Australia, will mark his return to Mercedes power by driving an 80s-spec DTM touring car at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival just before the 2025 F1 season kicks off.
According to Speed Week, Bottas' role as a stand-in driver could extend to Mercedes customer teams Williams and McLaren, further increasing his chances of racing this year.
Williams had initially lined up Franco Colapinto as a reserve driver, but following his move to Alpine, the next option—Luke Browning—is reportedly not yet ready for F1 duties.
McLaren, meanwhile, prefers IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward as its reserve, but his schedule often conflicts with F1 commitments. As a result, Bottas could fill in when O'Ward is unavailable.
Unlike Williams and McLaren, Aston Martin, another Mercedes-powered team, has a dedicated reserve driver in Felipe Drugovich, making additional support unnecessary.
Red Bull, however, faces a more complicated situation. With Liam Lawson now stepping up to replace Sergio Perez as Max Verstappen's teammate at the senior team, the energy drink giant is left without an obvious primary reserve.
As a solution, it is believed that Yuki Tsunoda may be pulled from his Racing Bulls race seat if Verstappen or Lawson are unable to race—creating a vacancy at the Faenza-based team. Ayumu Iwasa is reportedly being considered as Tsunoda's potential replacement in that scenario.
