Mercedes reserve Bottas returns to F1 car in McLaren test

Mercedes reserve driver Valtteri Bottas is making his return to a Formula 1 cockpit behind the wheel of a McLaren in Barcelona.

The Finn, who left the grid when exiting Sauber at the end of last season, rejoined the Silver Arrows having won 10 races with the Brackley-based squad between 2017 and 2021, finishing runner-up to Lewis Hamilton in the title race on two occasions.

As part of the reserve agreement between Mercedes and McLaren, Bottas has taken to the track for a TPC test [Testing of a Previous Car] at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, home of the Spanish Grand Prix.

GPBlog understands this is for familiarisation purposes in case he is required by the Woking-based outfit, which can call upon Mercedes' third driver to replace Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri in the case of an emergency.

The agreement follows a similar situation between the teams when Mick Schumacher filled the role at the German manufacturer across the past two seasons, before switching his full attention to Alpine's World Endurance Championship Hypercar effort. Nyck de Vries also drove for each of Mercedes' engine customers during practice sessions in 2022, piloting a Williams and Aston Martin as well as the W13.

Bottas will be hoping to rejoin the grid for the new regulatory era in 2026, with at least two seats known to be available with the addition of Cadillac to the grid.