Bottas opens up about harsh consequence of F1 snub

Valtteri Bottas has disclosed what he will miss most about racing, after failing to secure a full-time seat in F1 for the 2025 season. It is a difficult reality for the 10-time grand prix winner to acquiesce with, who has returned to Mercedes in support of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli as the Brackley-based squad's reserve driver. He had looked set to pen a one-year extension with Stake before an eleventh-hour u-turn by the Swiss squad left him seatless and out of viable options. Having found refuge with his former team, the Finnish driver will work towards a return to an F1 race seat in 2026, when Cadillac's admission into the paddock further bolsters his chances. But, for now, a year of waiting in the wings beckons. When asked what he will miss the most about racing this season, as part of an exclusive interview with RacingNews365 , Bottas struggled to pinpoint one particular area, underlining the extent of his loss. "Just the racing [in general]," he replied. "The rush, the thrill, the adrenaline you get from qualifying - when you try to perform at your absolute peak and push the car and yourself to the limit, that feeling. "And the race, the whole race day. The build up to the race, the excitement the race, the race start. All these things. Definitely I will miss that part."

Bottas adamant he has 'a few years' ahead of him

Given the wealth of talent breaking through to F1 and the highly-regarded drivers on the periphery of the series, obtaining another race seat is not guaranteed for Bottas. Whilst he maintains he still has the drive to race in the championship, and always will, he is open to pastures new. And at 35 years of age, Bottas insists he still has plenty left in the tank. "No, never lost it," he defiantly says when discussing how his motivating factor has never deserted him. "I think my relation to the sport, or how I see the sport, has changed. I'm definitely not taking some things too seriously anymore, like I used to. "But that feeling of racing and driving in the best cars against the best drivers, that's never gone away - and never will. "I'm 35 [years old] now, so I still have a few years ahead of me, no doubt."