Bottas pinpointed as Mercedes 'arse saver'

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has pinpointed Valtteri Bottas as Mercedes' "arse" saver, should Kimi Antonelli struggle. 

For 2025, Bottas has returned to Mercedes in a reserve role after being replaced at Stake F1. 

The Hinwil-based team opted to replace both Bottas and Zhou Guanyu for the upcoming campaign, with Nico Hulkenberg and F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto. 

Bottas departed Mercedes for a seat at Sauber at the end of the controversial 2021 season, with the German manufacturer now being in a very different place.

That is due to the outfit no longer having Lewis Hamilton, who has been replaced by its teenage sensation Antonelli. 

George Russell will initially lead the Silver Arrows, to allow the young Italian to settle. 

Antonelli holds an incredible amount of expectation on his shoulders, with many expecting him to be the next Max Verstappen

Because of this, Montoya believes Bottas has been re-signed by Mercedes in case the pressure is too much for Antonelli to handle.

“Kimi Antonelli is on the other side of the coin, in the spotlight in one of the best teams out there with a team-mate who is doing a mega job," Montoya told CasasDeApuestas.bet. 

"And you’re being sold as the next Max Verstappen. If he doesn’t deliver, that's tough.

“My reading is that with [Valtteri] Bottas, Mercedes would be covering their arse. 

"He’s a safety net to have somebody in case it doesn’t work with Antonelli and he knows that.”

Supporting Antonelli

Being a reserve driver is not what Bottas truly wants, with the Finn wanting to return to the F1 grid as soon as possible. 

His best chance will be at Cadillac in 2026, who have two seats to fill for when it joins the grid next year when the new power unit regulations are introduced. 

In terms of his role with Mercedes, Bottas recognises that watching the races from the Brackley-based team's garage will be "painful". 

However, even the 35-year-old recognises how important his experience will be to Antonelli's improvement. 

"I think it could be difficult, could be painful, because I just want to race, but I think I can still contribute a lot to the team with my experience," Bottas told RacingNews365 in an exclusive interview.

"They will also have a rookie driver joining, who will need some help. I just need to keep busy, I guess, and keep giving all the knowledge I have. And, yeah, that's the way to go."