Valtteri Bottas believes he can still produce his strongest Formula 1 performances. The Cadillac driver shared that view during the August break after eleven races with the new American team.
Bottas returned to a full-time seat after spending 2025 as Mercedes reserve driver. He now works beside Sergio Perez as Cadillac completes its first Formula 1 season.
A new team gave Bottas a different role
Cadillac entered Formula 1 as the eleventh team on the grid. The project needed experienced Formula 1 racers who could compete and support development. Bottas and Perez brought a combined record of sixteen Grand Prix victories. Both racers also understood several different teams and working methods. Bottas previously raced for Williams, Mercedes and Alfa Romeo before his year away. His Mercedes period produced ten victories and twenty pole positions. Bottas brought more than a return to competition. Cadillac gained someone familiar with race-winning standards and difficult rebuilding periods.
Bottas said the current project feels unlike his previous Formula 1 experiences. Every race creates another first for the new organisation. That situation changes his daily work inside the garage. Feedback can influence procedures as well as the car’s balance and mechanical settings. The team has factories, staff and technical partners in different locations. Clear communication is important when a new group builds a shared racing routine. Bottas can compare that process with established organisations from his career. His comments help Cadillac identify which details need faster decisions during race weekends.
Bottas returned after one season as a reserve driver
Bottas lost his Sauber seat after the 2024 season. He remained in Formula 1 by returning to Mercedes as a reserve driver. The role kept him close to race operations and current car development. It did not provide the same preparation as competing every weekend. Cadillac then selected Bottas for its first racing line-up. He returned alongside Perez, who had also spent the previous season away from racing. Bottas has said that the break changed his view of the sport. He now values the chance to drive and work with a team more strongly.
The return also required physical and technical preparation. New regulations changed the cars and power units before Cadillac’s debut. Testing gave Bottas his first direct experience of the new package. Race weekends then exposed details that controlled sessions could not fully reproduce. He has entered eleven Grands Prix during the opening part of the season. Mechanical failures ended five of those appearances before the chequered flag. The interruptions reduced his available race distance. They also made every completed weekend valuable for Bottas and the engineers.
Cadillac still have zero points in the standings
Cadillac entered the summer break in eleventh place. Neither Bottas nor Perez earned a championship point during the first eleven rounds. Bottas sits twenty-first in the drivers’ standings. He has not placed inside the top ten or recorded a fastest lap this season. Those numbers describe the results but not every part of the programme. Cadillac began the year with a completely new race operation. Reliability became one of the clearest problems. Bottas retired in Australia, Monaco, Barcelona, Austria and Hungary during the opening eleven races.
The Austrian weekend was especially difficult for both cars. Brake problems removed Bottas and Perez during the opening laps. Cadillac had brought a large update package to that event. The failures prevented the team from measuring its full effect across the race. Bottas then completed the next two races before the summer break. More race distance allowed the team to collect useful tyre and balance information. Cadillac still needs a large performance gain to fight regularly for points. The team remains clearly behind the established competitors in the standings.
Bottas has started 257 Grands Prix and reached 67 podiums
Bottas has entered 257 Grands Prix during thirteen Formula 1 seasons. He has collected 1,797 championship points and 67 podium finishes. His ten victories came during five seasons with Mercedes. Bottas also helped the team secure constructors’ titles beside Lewis Hamilton. That period placed him under regular pressure at the front. Qualifying margins were small, and victories depended on precise starts and pit work. Later seasons with Alfa Romeo brought a different challenge. Points were less frequent, while development work carried greater importance.
Cadillac combines parts of both experiences. The team has a major long-term programme but currently competes near the back. Bottas does not present his age as a reason to lower expectations. He believes experience has improved his understanding of preparation and performance. He will turn 37 later in August. Formula 1 history includes many racers who remained competitive beyond that age. His present task is more direct than comparing different eras. He needs weekends without major mistakes or technical failures.
Cadillac are still trying to score their first point
Cadillac can judge progress through reliability, qualifying gaps and completed race distance. These measures provide clearer evidence than broad promises. The team first needs both cars to finish more often. Each completed Grand Prix supplies data about tyres, cooling and performance across changing fuel loads. Qualifying shows Cadillac’s gap to the established teams across the opening race weekends. A smaller gap would give Bottas more opportunities during races. The points target remains difficult because ten positions receive a reward. Cadillac currently starts behind several teams fighting for the same places.
Bottas and Perez can still benefit when rival cars fail to finish or the weather changes. They need enough pace and reliability to use those opportunities. Bottas enters the remaining rounds with a stable contract and a defined role. Cadillac expects his experience to guide development while he searches for results. His latest comments do not hide the team’s difficult opening eleven races. They explain why he remains motivated despite the lack of points. The next races will provide direct evidence of Cadillac’s progress. Bottas wants those weekends to show that his return can produce stronger performances.
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