Valtteri Bottas has joked he was rooting for his “fellow Aussie” Oscar Piastri when asked who would beat him to the Drivers’ Championship in his Formula 1 return.
Bottas left F1 at the end of the 2024 season following his departure from Sauber. After 12 years in the sport, there were doubts about whether Bottas would find a free F1 seat in the future or if his career had reached its end.
However, with Cadillac joining F1, its need for an experienced driver made the Finn an ideal fit, allowing him to revive his career.
In the span of 12 years, Bottas’ most notorious moments came during his tenure at Mercedes, where he finished second in the Drivers’ Championship twice and collected 10 Grand Prix wins.
The new regulations being implemented in 2026 give both Cadillac and Bottas a chance to hit the ground running and potentially fight at the front of the field.
In 2025, McLaren took the title despite an intra-team battle that raged throughout the season. Though Lando Norris came out on top, Oscar Piastri showed a glimpse of a driver capable of winning a title, especially in the first half of the season.
When asked about the 2025 season, Bottas spoke to 10 Sport about the internal battle that was prevalent at McLaren.
He said, “It’s hard to say when you are not, you know, inside, you’re not with the team, what’s going on internally.”
“All I know is that this sport sometimes is not fair. That’s what it is.”
A look at 2026 for Valtteri Bottas
Yet the Finn showed his support for the Australian by speaking to the broadcaster at the RADL GRVL race, should the opportunity not arise for Cadillac to take the title.
“Oscar had a great season, but his first half was definitely better than the second half.
“But he still only has a few years in the sport; it is amazing he’s already doing so well.”
Bottas assured that Piastri will learn from the fight he had in 2025 and come back to fight in 2026.
“So he’s got a great future ahead of him. Many opportunities ahead of him. So if he had himself a bit of a dip, I’m sure he’s learned from it.”
Bottas joked that as an honorary Australian, he would like his fellow countryman to win.
“Yeah, no, if somebody is going to win, I’m rooting for my fellow Aussie.”
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