His reserve role will involve him attending most, if not all, the Grands Prix and supporting regular race drivers George Russell and debutant Kimi Antonelli.
“Returning home to the Mercedes family as third driver for 2025 is what’s next and I couldn’t be more pleased,” said Bottas.
“I want to thank Toto [Wolff, Mercedes team boss], the team at Brackley, and everyone at the three-pointed star for welcoming me back with open arms.
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“Despite the challenges of the past few years, I know that I’ve still got so much more to contribute to F1. Since I was a five-year-old kid growing up in Nastola, Finland, my focus has been on achieving success in the top tier of motorsport.
“I’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed many incredible moments in my 12 years of racing in F1 so far. As I return to the place where so many of those moments were achieved, I’m looking forward to using all the knowledge I’ve gained to help the team to perform and progress towards our goal of fighting for world championships.”
