Valtteri Bottas dropped an amusing hint regarding his future in Formula One amid speculation he could join Cadillac next year.
The 35-year-old, who has 10 grand prix victories to his name, is a reserve driver at Mercedes this year after losing his Sauber seat at the end of last season.
But Bottas, who raced in 12 consecutive seasons from 2013-2024, is keen to return to the grid next year and has been linked with a move to American-owned Cadillac, who will join the paddock next year as F1’s 11th team.
The Finnish driver added fuel to the fire over the weekend, when posting a video on social media. Bottas walked towards a Cadillac SUV road car, before he spoke about the car’s “nice seat.”
When asked if he would like one of the “two free seats”, Bottas turned to the camera and said: “Not yet.”
There is no suggestion that an announcement of Bottas joining the General Motors-owned outfit for 2026 is imminent, but signing a driver with 246 races to his name would be a coup for Cadillac in their first year.
Sergio Perez, Mick Schumacher, Zhou Guanyu and Colton Herta are other drivers who have been linked with Cadillac.
Cadillac team principal Graeme Lowdon has insisted that drivers will be “picked on merit”, as opposed to a preference for an American driver.
“Having a driver on merit doesn’t mean you can’t have an American passport as well,” Lowdon said.
“I think the fans would love to see an American driver in an American team.
“There’s nothing stopping that from happening, but we’ve just got to go ahead and select on merit and build a team, because there are a few very experienced drivers available.”
