BEYOND THE GRID: Valtteri Bottas on his break from racing, pushing for an F1 return and talks with Cadillac, Alpine and more

This year is the first time Valtteri Bottas isn’t racing in Formula 1 since he started as a rookie in 2013, but the 10-time Grand Prix winner says the sport is “still the number one thing in my life” and his priority is to get back on the grid in 2026.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson on the latest episode of the Beyond The Grid podcast, Bottas discusses all the options he has for his next move.

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Would he like to drive for the new Cadillac team that will join F1 next season? Could he race for Mercedes again? Or will there be opportunities at other teams like Red Bull or Alpine?

Valtteri reveals why he doesn’t want his F1 career to be over yet, what attributes he would bring to a team in a year of new regulations and cars, and the deadline he has put in place to make a decision on his future.

He also explains why he rejoined Mercedes as a reserve driver this year instead of competing in any other series.

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To listen to this week’s episode of Beyond The Grid, simply hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen via your preferred podcasting platform.

You can also check out a huge selection of previous episodes – spanning every decade of F1 – in our dedicated Beyond The Grid library here.