Bottas Completes Seat Fitting with Cadillac Post-Mercedes

Valtteri Bottas wasted no time transitioning to his new Formula 1 team, completing a seat fitting with Cadillac at the squad's Silverstone base just hours after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday. The 36-year-old Finnish driver, who served as Mercedes' reserve in 2025, marked the occasion as the start of his return to full-time racing in 2026 alongside teammate Sergio Perez.

Bottas had been unable to begin official work with Cadillac until his Mercedes contract expired at the close of the 2025 campaign. His role at Mercedes followed a stint at Sauber through the end of 2024, during which he stepped away from the grid after a decade-long career that included 10 Grand Prix victories, all secured with Mercedes between 2017 and 2021. Earlier in his career, Bottas debuted with Williams in 2013. Now free to commit fully, he arrived at Silverstone to integrate with the team, undergoing the seat fitting and meeting colleagues as preparations ramp up for Cadillac's entry as the 11th team on the grid, the first newcomer since Haas in 2016.

Perez, the Mexican veteran joining Bottas for what figures to be one of the grid's most experienced driver pairings, has already advanced...